How Huy Fong Put Heat in a Bottle and Seared Sriracha Into Our Lives

58,000 tons of peppers, millions of tearful fans

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In Minnesota last October, Duluth Animal Control responded to an unusual call. A skunk had managed to get its head stuck in a jar. The story has a happy ending (rescuers extricated the skunk and set it free) and, following a spin on the local NBC affiliate, the animal acquired a sobriquet: the Sriracha-Loving Skunk.

Photo: Nick Ferrari

Rarely does the public identify with a skunk. This time they could. After all, the unfortunate creature was only chowing down on some of Huy Fong's famous Southeast Asian chili sauce, and millions of Americans do the same thing.

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