Business

Not even the lack of a trademark can cool sales of the original Sriracha

A worker keeps an eye on the production line as freshly filled Sriracha sauce bottles move on a conveyor for packaging at Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale.

A worker keeps an eye on the production line as freshly filled Sriracha sauce bottles move on a conveyor for packaging at Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Some of the biggest names in the food business -- Heinz, Frito-Lay, Subway -- are banking off the popularity of Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha

Which is the original siraracha sauce?

Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Chili sauce, left, the original Sriracha made by Huy Fong Foods, and Kroger’s Sriracha.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Original Sriracha sauce maker

David Tran, who operates his family-owned Huy Fong Foods out of a 650,000-square-foot facility in Irwindale, doesn’t see his failure to secure a trademark for his Sriracha sauce as a missed opportunity. He says it’s free advertising for a company that’s never had a marketing budget.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Trio of Srirach sauce bottles

Huy Fong Foods did not trademark its Sriracha sauce, and many copycats are flooding the market. Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Chili sauce, left, Huy Fong’s original Sriracha and Kroger’s Sriracha chili sauce.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Adding the peppers

Peppers are unloaded from a truck into the factory where Sriracha sauce is made in Irwindale.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Sriracha production

A worker watches extraction of sauce from the barrels to make three Huy Fong sauces, the Sriracha, the sambal and the chili garlic sauce.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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