@LION TAMER I'm not American but that's what I love about the US, you can make it big if you have the right product. Europe is maybe more stable and safe for immigrants but they never could achieve what they can in the US.
@@SwissTanuki they could never achieve? Then where do all the business owners from Europe come from? There is no rich people in Europe? Search financial and social mobility ranking and look at where US rank. Not top 1, or top 10, or top 15, but they are ranked 27. Story like this is the exception not the norm. If you want to make it big, you have more chances in 26 other countries. God forbid if you get sick here in US then it'll actually bankrupt you instead.
I am very proud of David Tran. My mom is also a Viet-Chinese from South Viet Nam. Great to see something so many Asian Americans grew up with branching out to the rest of the country and beyond!
@@Ver1dian Exactly! It is like saying when China manufactures tires, it is a total rip off or copy because the tires are 'round' and they should make it square and triangle.
It was hard to find last summer due to the shortage. I had the opportunity to visit the factory tour in 2015. Mr. David Tran was gracious enough to take a picture with me too. Love the sauces. Pairs great with noodles, pho, orange chicken and Korean BBQ.
Hasn't the plant moved from Rosemead to Irwindale in the San Gabriel Valley? Irwindale is more industrial friendly, right over the wash from our El Monte compound.
Thanks to David Tran for creating an iconic hot sauce as well as not selling their company to some conglomerate. The problem with selling to conglomerates is that they tend to cheap out on everything using lower-quality, lower-cost and often times, less healthy ingredients with the highest profit-margin. Keeping it in the family and not changing a thing to a popular product is perfectly fine.
I love it how it’s said the hot sauce is founded by David Tran but it’s actually a Thai hot sauce re branded as Vietnamese. Had this been a white man claiming to have founded something Vietnamese , people would’ve had a field day and call it cultural appropriation.
@@Timothee_Chalamet_CMBYN Bruh thats like saying Japan stole Sushi/Eating Raw Salmon because it originally came from Sweden. Everyone takes and copies ideas. The whole point is adding to what came before or bringing it to new places. And just because the man started selling a traditional "Thai" hot sauce? First off where is the proof random youtube comment? Its a traditional recipe so why hasnt anyone made a competitor? He didnt steal anyones recipe then? Where does it say he stole the "traditional recipe"? Did he steal it from "Vietnam". From a country lmao? So how is it stealing? It takes 5 seconds to figure it out. Same way its easy to figure out you make 2 accounts and like each other in a fcked up 69 to make seem it like someone agrees with your bad takes.
@@richter9485 Ever wonder why Sriracha haven't been trademarked yet? Because it's the name of a town in thailand and it can't be trademarked. Sriracha doesn't sound vietnamese at all
My mom came over with nothing but the clothes on her back along with my brother and I. She was still in her early 20s and having to do a life or death trip across thousands of miles of ocean evading pirates, heavy storms, hunger, thirst, stress, and being tired. It's incredible what her generation has been able to accomplish with nothing and having gone through so much just to survive. I tear up sometimes thinking about this. How I would be happy to just have 10% of her sheer strength of will. She paved the way to give me the opportunity to live my dreams. I don't feel like I've reach it yet, but I will keep working to get there. The Vietnamese immigrant spirit is an incredible power that I could not ever understand fully. Even though I am a first generation immigrant as well since I came with my mom, I was merely just a spectator on her Amazing journey.
I love how it’s said the hot sauce is founded by David Tran but it’s actually a Thai hot sauce re branded as Vietnamese. Had this been a white man claiming to have founded something Vietnamese like Nuoc Cham, people would’ve had a field day and call it cultural appropriation.
The Vietnamese community here in Houston grew so much. So many businesses, from nail salon to banks to restaurants. The issue is the comfort that America gives that spoils the 2nd and 3rd generation usually. It happens like this with almost every immigrant family that arrives. I wonder if we need more stress or more vacations outside to other countries to feel more energetic and competitive.
Rich man’s hot sauce at a poor man’s price ❤. Also I always felt the authentic feel came from the squishy (low quality) plastic packaging implying the no-showoff attitude. Nice tribute to the sauce-maker. I always use it in my noodle recipe
It's a great design. It's really hard to get the last bit of sauce out of a glass bottle. A squeezable plastic bottle makes it easier to get all the sauce out.
this is super inspiring, i am also an immigrant with a small fruit farm, and designing and creating products being my current focus. David Tran is literally the type of man i aspire to be and to leave a similar legacy for the next generations.. thanks for sharing
If you are ever in the neighborhood, take a tour. It was very interesting to see a huge truck deliver a massive amount of jalapenos into a bin. I thought I could handle peppers, but it was so overwhelming to breathe in all the pepper fumes. The factory is huge too. It's amazing how much they produce at that location.
That is causing the problem to get worse. I haven’t seen a single bottle of sriracha on a store shelf in over a year. I’ve been actively looking for it every week.
We love Huy Fong Sriracha chillies sauce, we use everyday for fish sauce. Dim sum, other dipping sauces for all kinds of food: Deep fried, grill chicken, beef noodle, steam dumplings and so on....
Wow! Very informative documentary. I use Sriracha all the time , especially when I eat Sushi and Sashimi and Vietnamese food, and I never knew it was founded by Mr. David Tran, an immigrant from Vietnam. I am Chinese, as a young girl, I also immigrated from Vietnam, via 11 months at a Malaysian island, and came into the U.S.A. the same year as Mr. Tran, in 1979. I always thought Sriracha was a product from Thailand, maybe because the name sounds kinda Thai to me, and I didn't know the sauce is made in California, U.S.A. , where I live most of my life. Wow! Wonderful success story.
I find a common theme amongst Asians, work hard to get what they want in life and succeed not just for themselves but for their families/community. They don't riot/blame/commit crime and then get bitter and attack others when they don't succeed....
Sriracha is a Thai name. It's the name of a town in Thailand, not too far from the famous Pattaya beach resort. The town Sriracha is also the birthplace of the Sriracha sauce that has been the most popular sauce in Thailand (the famous land of hot and spicy food) for over 80 years. For Thais, it is so essential for many Thai dishes in particular Pad Thai and many other famous noodle and curry dishes. Thai Sriracha sauce is also quite popular among Thailand's neighboring countries including Vietnam. The fact is Thai Sriracha sauce has been created and widespread used for decades well ahead of David Tran's sauce in your story. However, Thai Sriracha sauce was first generated and distributed from a homegrown family business; like many Thai local family business owners at the time, they most likely had no idea about patenting and or trademarking concepts or strategies to protect their products and opportunities. Most Thais know about the miss opportunity of the Thai Sriracha sauce. The sad part is the Thai name Sriracha that is synonym with not only the Thai native town but also the Thai hot sauce that has been generated and used daily in Thai homes for almost a century was taken and claimed by this sauce as their own.
So you’re saying Thai claims all hot sauce is that it? He named it after a town in Thailand which should be an honor. This could’ve been said for anything. Sounds like you’re hating on someone’s success.
I don't know anything about Thai Sriracha's name. He's Chinese Vietnamese for the record and the red sauce that Chinese Vietnamese made called "red sauce" or "tuong do" in Vietnamese has been in Vietnam since the time Chinese immigrate to Vietnam in 19th century. This red sauce along with hoisin sauce is served to eat with "meat ball" or "Bo Vien" in Vietnamese which is a pretty popular in Vietnam. I remember when I was a teenager back in 1970's when I ate meat ball with red sauce back then the red sauce has no much chilli and garlic taste as Huy Phong Sriracha sauce today. As I said I'm not a sauce expert so I won't comment on SueWatt's argument that this man stole the original Thai's sauce recipe. In this interview the link below he said he took the name Sriracha because at that time all Pho restauranst use the Thai sauce Sriracha and Vietnam goods were not allowed to import in the USA due to sanction. th-cam.com/video/AWRZPLe0cUc/w-d-xo.html
Mr. Tran is very approachable have met him when he holds (held…pre Covid) his annual and NO cost factory open house event in Azusa, CA. Humble and unaffected, he exemplifies the lure of the “American Dream”.
Huy Fung rocks and we thankfully found it in England when we moved from LA, but the term Sriracha is for thai and vietnamese hot sauce that is available from lots of thai and vietnamese vendors with a similar recipe to Tran. We think Huy Fung is the best, but its not alone.
The video below features founder David Tran talking about the origin of a chili sauce called Sriracha, which has nothing to do with Thai food. th-cam.com/video/AWRZPLe0cUc/w-d-xo.html
The origins of Sriracha is from the Thai city of same name, Sri Racha on the east coast of Thailand. The original recipe was invented in 1930's by a grandmother Thanom Chakkapak. David Tran bought the original recipe from the family and then brought it to the US.
@@hardvibe866 Purchase and licensing are obviously two diff things. Lol. All hot pepper sauce is basically made the same way same ingredients. But the process and proportions are different.
Cool tribute. I first tried Sriracha in 1986 when my college friends discovered pho. It used to be only in Vietnamese restaurants. At that time, there were two types: red and brown. Anyone remember this? The red was hotter, I believe it was made from serranos. The brown was pretty much the same as the current version. Much less hot and made from jalapenos. Obviously it was a mixture of red and green jalapenos to get the brown color. So it isn't quite true that the recipe has never changed.
Ohh yeah! I remember now! Thanks for refreshing my memories. I used to see the brown sauce in Vietnamese supermarkets when I was little but now, you don't see any.
@@vietnam1978 never a fan of “Hot sauce”... had a bad experience with a hot pepper, never wanted to be part of that world. Have watched those shows where you try or tolerate hotter sauces, never got it, or the people who carry their own sauce with them.
@@randalllaue4042 because most foreigners can't tolerate spice lol. I think Siracha was adjusted to the taste of Americans because I tasted it and it isn't as hot as actual vietnamese hot sauces made in Vietnam.
How many people do u know that has turned $100k into $1billion.. theres still a real work ethic and uphill battle behind it so not the same as what u imply
No, it's Sattahip. Sriracha is a district near Chonburi city itself. You reach Sriracha before Chonburi city, then Pattaya, then Sattahip which is the Navy's base and there is a huge airport there built by the American as a base to bomb Vietcong and Laos in 60-70s.
Original sauce and name is from Thailand, at Sriracha district, near Pataya, Cholburi, Thailand. The sauce already sold in Thai markets imported from Thailand. He cannot use the Sriracha in Thailand for the copyright. Sriracha sauce is popular and well known in Thailand to use it for seafood plate.
@Calvin D just because the sources from Forbes or other MSM it means nothing, those columnist or media aren't knows it all. Use this keyword in Thai then use Google English "น้ำพริกศรีราชา"
@Calvin D Sriracha itself is Thai word. The word has meaning in Thai language not in English or in Vietnamese or in Chinese. It is also the name of a district in Thailand. The same kind of sauce itself also produced in that district long before the one in the US. And you say nothing related? Also the original Sriracha brand owner can not use the name in the US because someone else has registered the name before the original owner of the brand. It is pure fact. Nothing to do with claiming anything.
I am totally loyal to this iconic sauce. I have spent decent money on replacements. None have measured up. I always had more than I need. Now I will wait. I have given away all my replacements. I will wait until I can order the original... great, perfectly balanced Srirachi. There are no replacements for me. I Admire David Tran and his story. His product is also just superior. Fans have always appreciated their favorite sauce but we will never take it for granted again(assuming it will always be there).There will be an audible celebration whan we can get our beloved Sriracha again!
He actually told people in Vietnamese papers' interviews about his sauce that he learned the recipe from a lady in the region where he was stationed while he was a still a soldier before 1975. He modified it to his liking and started selling it after the war. In South Vietnam at the time, hot sauces were just as popular as now but the people don't care about the brand because the sauces were sold directly to restaurants, not private consumers. There was very little market for mass-manufactured foods; dry ramen noodle was one of the few exceptions. Also, there were no presence of Thai manufactured foods in Vietnam back in those days because the country hardly had any trades with foreign nations due to Vietnam was sanctioned by US embargo until the 90s. By the time he came to California in 1980 and produced his sauce to sell to Vietnamese restaurants, my theory is that he 'appropriated' (stole) the use of the term 'Siracha' from Thai- manufactured sauces selling in Asian markets because it sounds Westernized; he can't use the Vietnamese word ("Tuong Ot" is the generic term all Vietnamese use) which is harder for people to read and speak. That's why Tương Ớt was printed on the label but everybody use "Siracha" instead. So really, he didn't get it from copying Thailand sauces.
I’m so proud of him that he came 2 🇺🇸w/t nothing & now is he well known all over the world. I’m happy that I’m also Vietnam & trying 2 b a role like him
Did you watch the video? He had the equivalent of 100k USD of gold in today's money when he left vietnam. A wealthy person leaving the communist country to become more wealthy in USA.
Huy Fong Sriracha is my favorite hot sauce since I tried it at a San Diego restaurant on my favorite beef & broccoli, in the 1980s! I use it in all of my savory recipes to add a much needed kick. I tried a different brand during the shortage. No Bueno!!! My sister went to Vegas and found some Huy Fong, and sent me a bottle! What a 🔥 hot 😎 souvenir!
Sriracha is like Ketchup, you don't know how to use it when first seeing it. But they give Ketchup to you with fries, and they give Sriracha to you with Vietnamese Pho soup noodles.
Hands down the BEST hot sauce in the world. The sauce has body, flavor, spices, looks and best of all....taste. Other brand sucks because they all lack the correct combinations. There are many imitators(including Tabasco)...but nothing or no one comes close.
Yep..I totally agree with you. Every time I try it on something new it never fails to make it more delicious! And I tried the Tabasco copy when OG Sriracha couldn't be found and now I'm stuck with 2 bottles of terrible sauce because I bought it at Sam's Club!!
@@kaox44 There's no best hot sauce for me. I eat different chili sauce depending on the food. Like if I eat Chinese food, I go with a chili oil or Koon Yick Wah Kee or Koon Chun (hard to find). If I eat Mexican, then I use one of the El Yucateco sauces.
The comments about the lawsuit are heavily redacted in this article in David Tran’s favour. Forbes published a feel good article and skipped the dark side of the story. Half points for effort.
There's Vietnamese-made siracha found in the Asian supermarket near my house and it is a lot better IMO. It is less thick, a bit more sour, less spicy, and satisfying. I have been using it since this Siracha is not in store due to lack of chilis. I like it more than this Siracha. Not sure what other people think though
6:30 Here I am eating, watching this next to my Tabasco Sriracha bottle. Fairly good sauce though i have to say. But ain't got nothing on the real deal. Nothing but admiration for the man and his product, mad props.
No! Sriracha does not come from Vietnam. It is the essentially a counterfeit product of the original Sriracha sauce from Thailand down to the shape of the bottle. Sriracha is a Thai word named after a town in Thailand where the original Sriracha sauce brand comes from. It was never invented in Vietnam. Please like so that everyone can see!
He did not steal anything. He made it because he loved the style of sauce. So much so that he even paid homage to the name and labeled it on all his bottles (and no the bottles are NOT the same), and he also named his company after the boat (Huy Fong) that helped him cross his journey. So the man did not take anything for granted. Get your facts straight.
The story of the original sauce has been changed and altered. If anyone has been to Vietnam during that time would know that there is no such Sriracha sauce there. The Namesake and the sauce are originated in Sriracha district (near Pattaya), Chonburi, Thailand, But I am happy for their success.
I don't know why he chose to call it sriracha but to say that there was no hot chili sauce in Vietnam before Mr. Tran made it famous is ludicrous. I used to live in the part of Saigon that is predominantly Chinese and ate Chinese food every day, usually accompanied with a hot chili sauce.
He actually told people in Vietnamese papers' interviews about his sauce that he learned the recipe from a lady in the region where he was stationed while he was a still a soldier before 1975. He modified it to his liking and started selling it after the war. In South Vietnam at the time, hot sauces were just as popular as now but the people don't care about the brand because the sauces were sold directly to restaurants, not private consumers. There was very little market for mass-manufactured foods; dry ramen noodle was one of the few exceptions. Also, there were no presence of Thai manufactured foods in Vietnam back in those days because the country hardly had any trades with foreign nations due to Vietnam was sanctioned by US embargo until the 90s. By the time he came to California in 1980 and produced his sauce to sell to Vietnamese restaurants, my theory is that he 'appropriated' (stole) the use of the term 'Siracha' from Thai- manufactured sauces selling in Asian markets because it sounds Westernized; he can't use the Vietnamese word ("Tuong Ot" is the generic term all Vietnamese use) which is harder for people to read and speak. That's why Tương Ớt was printed on the label but everybody use "Siracha" instead. So really, he didn't get it from copying Thailand sauces.
I haven't seen a bottle of Huy Fong Sriracha on the shelf since around June 2022 (Pittsburgh area.) I had to order some recently from Amazon because it's so scarce. I can't wait until it's more obtainable and I hope they bounce back from the bad growing season.
The old factory used to be close to my junior high school until they moved to Irwindale many years later, and I came to the US the same year as him and also an immigrant (Boat people) as well. Small world…
Not a lot of people know this but Sriracha is really good on burritos and tacos with a little bit of lime. I am surprised Mexican restaurants don’t serve sriracha with their food.
Chinese Vietnamese (called người Hoa in VN) are ethnic Chinese living in VN for many generations, there were over 2 millions of them in VN before 1975, most resided in the south, especially ChoLon district in Saigon, where over 90% were Viet-Chinese. They used to control over 90% of south VN trade and therefore very wealthy compared to the locals Viets. Unfortunately, after the communist took over south VN, the Viet Cong nationalized most of ethnic Chinese business, they lost almost all assets, then forced to fled the country, took refuge in Hongkong, China, Malaysia and the Philippines, and later settled mostly in western countries, many came to the US, and are quite successful in all fields, David Tran is one of the most successful businessmen.
My family be killing this hot sauce since the early 90s to now on everything. This sauce on fry eggs,hotdogs and cheap ramen is life saver while growing up lol. The samba and its chile oil is bomb too!!! For some reason the sauce now in days doesnt taste exactly the same and a bit more sweet than the one fron early years and it goes bad and dark too fast. Still a must have and thanks to David for this amazing hot sauce.
The farmer that grew his peppers he threw under the bus ... and then went to Mexico to buy the peppers and now he is having problems getting enough of peppers... the farmer that grew his peppers now makes the same sauce it is way better.......
I used to work a couple blocks from his second factory in Rosemead Ca. Depending on which way the wind was blowing one could easily smell the strong odor of the chilis cooking. San Gabriel Valley has become heavily inhabited by Asians and they opened countless Chinese restaurants and on every table was a bottle of Huy Fong. Now its everywhere. The city of Rosemead screwed up and got greedy and thats when Fong moved to Irwindale making Rosemead loose lots of money in city taxes.
They are a part of American modern classics. Almost all the American richest came out from the near zero starting points like MS, Apple, Amazon, FB, Google, etc and etc. They once were coming from garage based or room based businesses that now connect the humans of the today world together to promote more and more understandings.
This story reminds me of the Wings Food Ltd Hot Chilli Sauce packets. They had their chilli sauce in every Chinese food spot in Toronto. That packet was a staple for decades and everyone acquired a taste for that specific brand of hot sauce. Now that brand is out of business and I haven't been able to find anything like it. Its amazing that one little thing like hot sauce can bless your life and everyone around you. Inspiring story! 🙂
I frequent the area more than I can count but yet to do the tour. I had scricha first when I was young and ate at a Phoa restaurant. Now along with tabasco is part of the hot sauce rotation in my cupboard.
I just ate Sriracha in Chinese buffet restaurants because there's nothing else...... i rather die first that eating Tabasco nasty sauce. I pure Mexican don't eat that kind of sauces.
Tabasco is good in some things, but it’s vinegar content overwhelms a lot of things. I made the mistake of dumping too much on a burger and couldn’t taste anything but vinegar.
It was very pity that the plagiarists were praised. Why don't we consider some trade etiquette even though the original product owner still doesn't yet register the copyright of the product name? This is the oppression of poor producers. It is an example that should not be glorified at all.
im pushing 40 and ive been eating sriracha since i was a kid..i never knew it would blow up to this but its really cool to see it grow through the years
David Tran is the finest example of the American Dream!
@@montyi8 just made him a billionaire =)
This sauce is the worse version. There’s better sauce now
@@montyi8 money baby.
@LION TAMER I'm not American but that's what I love about the US, you can make it big if you have the right product. Europe is maybe more stable and safe for immigrants but they never could achieve what they can in the US.
@@SwissTanuki they could never achieve? Then where do all the business owners from Europe come from? There is no rich people in Europe? Search financial and social mobility ranking and look at where US rank. Not top 1, or top 10, or top 15, but they are ranked 27. Story like this is the exception not the norm. If you want to make it big, you have more chances in 26 other countries. God forbid if you get sick here in US then it'll actually bankrupt you instead.
I am very proud of David Tran. My mom is also a Viet-Chinese from South Viet Nam. Great to see something so many Asian Americans grew up with branching out to the rest of the country and beyond!
Uh ok
@@FrozenKopi _"Uh ok"_
???
@@80sGuy. proud of a copier lol. true amercian dream
@@matrixace_8903 what’s up with you and all these haters accusing someone of copying. Who claims the right to hot sauce or any other sauce
@@Ver1dian Exactly! It is like saying when China manufactures tires, it is a total rip off or copy because the tires are 'round' and they should make it square and triangle.
“I’m just trying to make a rich man’s hot sauce at a poor man’s price”
pure poetry I love this sauce .. this story makes me love it more 👏🏼
Poetry indeed. A motivational mindset.
Poor man's price not anymore.
@@johnwhodat8135 Dude, it used to be 5 bucks at my local grocery. Now I can only find it on eBay for 70 bucks!!!!!
It was hard to find last summer due to the shortage.
I had the opportunity to visit the factory tour in 2015. Mr. David Tran was gracious enough to take a picture with me too.
Love the sauces. Pairs great with noodles, pho, orange chicken and Korean BBQ.
It's great as an additive to sauces too, like salad dressings.
Hasn't the plant moved from Rosemead to Irwindale in the San Gabriel Valley? Irwindale is more industrial friendly, right over the wash from our El Monte compound.
I was selling them on eBay for $25 a bottle during the shortage.
its great on pizza !
Really good on food
Thanks to David Tran for creating an iconic hot sauce as well as not selling their company to some conglomerate. The problem with selling to conglomerates is that they tend to cheap out on everything using lower-quality, lower-cost and often times, less healthy ingredients with the highest profit-margin. Keeping it in the family and not changing a thing to a popular product is perfectly fine.
I love it how it’s said the hot sauce is founded by David Tran but it’s actually a Thai hot sauce re branded as Vietnamese. Had this been a white man claiming to have founded something Vietnamese , people would’ve had a field day and call it cultural appropriation.
@@Timothee_Chalamet_CMBYN Thanks for bringing this up. I was waiting for it to be mentioned in the video. It's a Thai sauce for so long.
@@Timothee_Chalamet_CMBYN Bruh thats like saying Japan stole Sushi/Eating Raw Salmon because it originally came from Sweden.
Everyone takes and copies ideas. The whole point is adding to what came before or bringing it to new places.
And just because the man started selling a traditional "Thai" hot sauce? First off where is the proof random youtube comment?
Its a traditional recipe so why hasnt anyone made a competitor?
He didnt steal anyones recipe then? Where does it say he stole the "traditional recipe"? Did he steal it from "Vietnam". From a country lmao?
So how is it stealing?
It takes 5 seconds to figure it out. Same way its easy to figure out you make 2 accounts and like each other in a fcked up 69 to make seem it like someone agrees with your bad takes.
@@richter9485 Ever wonder why Sriracha haven't been trademarked yet? Because it's the name of a town in thailand and it can't be trademarked. Sriracha doesn't sound vietnamese at all
Spot on..
My mom came over with nothing but the clothes on her back along with my brother and I. She was still in her early 20s and having to do a life or death trip across thousands of miles of ocean evading pirates, heavy storms, hunger, thirst, stress, and being tired. It's incredible what her generation has been able to accomplish with nothing and having gone through so much just to survive. I tear up sometimes thinking about this. How I would be happy to just have 10% of her sheer strength of will. She paved the way to give me the opportunity to live my dreams. I don't feel like I've reach it yet, but I will keep working to get there. The Vietnamese immigrant spirit is an incredible power that I could not ever understand fully. Even though I am a first generation immigrant as well since I came with my mom, I was merely just a spectator on her Amazing journey.
Not only the vietnamese spirit is incredible. The food!! Currently addicted to it rn along with indian foods. I just with i tried it sooner
I love how it’s said the hot sauce is founded by David Tran but it’s actually a Thai hot sauce re branded as Vietnamese. Had this been a white man claiming to have founded something Vietnamese like Nuoc Cham, people would’ve had a field day and call it cultural appropriation.
@@Timothee_Chalamet_CMBYN So true. Completely agree with you.
The Vietnamese community here in Houston grew so much. So many businesses, from nail salon to banks to restaurants. The issue is the comfort that America gives that spoils the 2nd and 3rd generation usually. It happens like this with almost every immigrant family that arrives. I wonder if we need more stress or more vacations outside to other countries to feel more energetic and competitive.
Damn, no wonder why Mexico is the place people go to before making their way to the U.S,
No excuses. Just hard work and determination!
...and a badass pepper sauce that goes with everything lol
@@LIONTAMER3D I even see it at taco trucks
and also copying
What a great story. Kudos to Mr. Tran for just keeping it out of big corporates. I hope that business never leaves his family.
Rich man’s hot sauce at a poor man’s price ❤.
Also I always felt the authentic feel came from the squishy (low quality) plastic packaging implying the no-showoff attitude. Nice tribute to the sauce-maker.
I always use it in my noodle recipe
It's a great design. It's really hard to get the last bit of sauce out of a glass bottle. A squeezable plastic bottle makes it easier to get all the sauce out.
in simple words:SIRACHA IS LEGENDARY
this is super inspiring, i am also an immigrant with a small fruit farm, and designing and creating products being my current focus. David Tran is literally the type of man i aspire to be and to leave a similar legacy for the next generations.. thanks for sharing
Goodluck!
@@dudeOmzeh thanks so much! I appreciate your support
With this mindset I'm sure you will succeed. Best to you!
If you are ever in the neighborhood, take a tour. It was very interesting to see a huge truck deliver a massive amount of jalapenos into a bin. I thought I could handle peppers, but it was so overwhelming to breathe in all the pepper fumes. The factory is huge too. It's amazing how much they produce at that location.
are they still doing it?
Wow, thanks Forbes for featuring this story. It was touching. I am impressed by this guy's research and reporting.
I love how there was next to no ad or promo for siracha but when you have a great product, people will come looking.
Imagine that?! NO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. NO REPARATIONS. NO HANDOUTS. NO EVEN SPEAKY ENGRISH! But he DID IT! Whats YOUR EXCUSE?!
I totally hoarded sriracha when I heard there might be a shortage. Who could live without that stuff?!? :)
That is causing the problem to get worse. I haven’t seen a single bottle of sriracha on a store shelf in over a year. I’ve been actively looking for it every week.
We love Huy Fong Sriracha chillies sauce, we use everyday for fish sauce. Dim sum, other dipping sauces for all kinds of food:
Deep fried, grill chicken, beef noodle, steam dumplings and so
on....
Any chilli sauce can pass putting in the plain noodle soup and taste delicious will pass
Wow!
Very informative documentary.
I use Sriracha all the time , especially when I eat Sushi and Sashimi and Vietnamese food, and I never knew it was founded by Mr. David Tran, an immigrant from Vietnam.
I am Chinese, as a young girl,
I also immigrated from Vietnam, via 11 months at a Malaysian island, and came into the U.S.A. the same year as Mr. Tran, in 1979.
I always thought Sriracha was a product from Thailand, maybe because the name sounds kinda Thai to me, and I didn't know the sauce is made in California, U.S.A. , where I live most of my life.
Wow! Wonderful success story.
It was originally from Thailand, but this vietcong copied it
@@matrixace_8903 Cry again 🤣🤣🤣
There are Sriracha sauce from Thailand. Also, Sriracha is a town in Thailand.
Sriracha sauce originated in Thailand . May be he created a taste for his sauce.
This really is the American dream
Essential hot sauce !
Cheers from San Diego California
I find a common theme amongst Asians, work hard to get what they want in life and succeed not just for themselves but for their families/community. They don't riot/blame/commit crime and then get bitter and attack others when they don't succeed....
Maybe perhaps because they haven’t been enslaved prior for generations. Just saying
Sriracha is a Thai name. It's the name of a town in Thailand, not too far from the famous Pattaya beach resort. The town Sriracha is also the birthplace of the Sriracha sauce that has been the most popular sauce in Thailand (the famous land of hot and spicy food) for over 80 years. For Thais, it is so essential for many Thai dishes in particular Pad Thai and many other famous noodle and curry dishes. Thai Sriracha sauce is also quite popular among Thailand's neighboring countries including Vietnam. The fact is Thai Sriracha sauce has been created and widespread used for decades well ahead of David Tran's sauce in your story. However, Thai Sriracha sauce was first generated and distributed from a homegrown family business; like many Thai local family business owners at the time, they most likely had no idea about patenting and or trademarking concepts or strategies to protect their products and opportunities. Most Thais know about the miss opportunity of the Thai Sriracha sauce. The sad part is the Thai name Sriracha that is synonym with not only the Thai native town but also the Thai hot sauce that has been generated and used daily in Thai homes for almost a century was taken and claimed by this sauce as their own.
So you’re saying Thai claims all hot sauce is that it? He named it after a town in Thailand which should be an honor. This could’ve been said for anything. Sounds like you’re hating on someone’s success.
@@Ver1dianif he invented this sauce, why he is using SriRacha name? Can he just think of his own suace name? Why he useThai name?
Sriracha sauce from Thailand was created by ethnic Chinese based on Chinese hot sauce. It's not originally Thai. Look it up.
He didn’t take Sriracha sauce as his own. He never ever trademarked the name, even if he could.
I don't know anything about Thai Sriracha's name. He's Chinese Vietnamese for the record and the red sauce that Chinese Vietnamese made called "red sauce" or "tuong do" in Vietnamese has been in Vietnam since the time Chinese immigrate to Vietnam in 19th century. This red sauce along with hoisin sauce is served to eat with "meat ball" or "Bo Vien" in Vietnamese which is a pretty popular in Vietnam. I remember when I was a teenager back in 1970's when I ate meat ball with red sauce back then the red sauce has no much chilli and garlic taste as Huy Phong Sriracha sauce today. As I said I'm not a sauce expert so I won't comment on SueWatt's argument that this man stole the original Thai's sauce recipe.
In this interview the link below he said he took the name Sriracha because at that time all Pho restauranst use the Thai sauce Sriracha and Vietnam goods were not allowed to import in the USA due to sanction.
th-cam.com/video/AWRZPLe0cUc/w-d-xo.html
Mr. Tran is very approachable have met him when he holds (held…pre Covid) his annual and NO cost factory open house event in Azusa, CA. Humble and unaffected, he exemplifies the lure of the “American Dream”.
Huy Fung rocks and we thankfully found it in England when we moved from LA, but the term Sriracha is for thai and vietnamese hot sauce that is available from lots of thai and vietnamese vendors with a similar recipe to Tran. We think Huy Fung is the best, but its not alone.
The video below features founder David Tran talking about the origin of a chili sauce called Sriracha, which has nothing to do with Thai food.
th-cam.com/video/AWRZPLe0cUc/w-d-xo.html
The origins of Sriracha is from the Thai city of same name, Sri Racha on the east coast of Thailand. The original recipe was invented in 1930's by a grandmother Thanom Chakkapak. David Tran bought the original recipe from the family and then brought it to the US.
I didn’t know he bought it. I thought it was just a popular sauce from Sriracha region in Thailand.
Yeah , even for a Vietnamese like me , i still thought Thai people are master of chillis 🙌🙌 hats down for Thai brothers 🙏🙏🙏
I thought he stole the recipe since licensing was not the thing back then
@@hardvibe866 Purchase and licensing are obviously two diff things. Lol. All hot pepper sauce is basically made the same way same ingredients. But the process and proportions are different.
There was no recipe to purchase. He made the sauce and sold it to people from his vehicle.
This is exactly what we need: more family-owned companies and fewer publicly traded corporations.
EXACTLY!!
Cool tribute. I first tried Sriracha in 1986 when my college friends discovered pho. It used to be only in Vietnamese restaurants. At that time, there were two types: red and brown. Anyone remember this? The red was hotter, I believe it was made from serranos. The brown was pretty much the same as the current version. Much less hot and made from jalapenos. Obviously it was a mixture of red and green jalapenos to get the brown color. So it isn't quite true that the recipe has never changed.
Ohh yeah! I remember now! Thanks for refreshing my memories. I used to see the brown sauce in Vietnamese supermarkets when I was little but now, you don't see any.
Formula changed.
I live in Vietnam and it’s the first time I’ve heard of Sriracha lol
@@vietnam1978 never a fan of “Hot sauce”... had a bad experience with a hot pepper, never wanted to be part of that world. Have watched those shows where you try or tolerate hotter sauces, never got it, or the people who carry their own sauce with them.
@@randalllaue4042 because most foreigners can't tolerate spice lol. I think Siracha was adjusted to the taste of Americans because I tasted it and it isn't as hot as actual vietnamese hot sauces made in Vietnam.
Yes, but it’s authentic culture. It might not be made here but he first made it in his home in Vietnam. That’s where the recipe started.
David Tran is the ultimate American dream success story.
A refugee with ~$90,000 USD worth of Gold in today's money? Poor guy.
Love this success story so much!
I once accidentally bought a siracha rip off and then I knew why this guy is a billionaire cause the taste is just something else
He came to America with nothing! Just 100 ounces of gold
100oz of gold is worth $180,000 today.
only a small loan of a million dollars!
@@ty-kk9vq lmao fr tho
25k in 1979
How many people do u know that has turned $100k into $1billion.. theres still a real work ethic and uphill battle behind it so not the same as what u imply
Siracha is the name of the navy base in Thailand 🇹🇭 😍 🙌
No, it's Sattahip. Sriracha is a district near Chonburi city itself. You reach Sriracha before Chonburi city, then Pattaya, then Sattahip which is the Navy's base and there is a huge airport there built by the American as a base to bomb Vietcong and Laos in 60-70s.
@@kamolhengkiatisak1527 The airport is U-Tapao airport. Actually its in another province Rayong but its near eachother.
Original sauce and name is from Thailand, at Sriracha district, near Pataya, Cholburi, Thailand. The sauce already sold in Thai markets imported from Thailand. He cannot use the Sriracha in Thailand for the copyright. Sriracha sauce is popular and well known in Thailand to use it for seafood plate.
@Calvin D just because the sources from Forbes or other MSM it means nothing, those columnist or media aren't knows it all. Use this keyword in Thai then use Google English "น้ำพริกศรีราชา"
@Calvin D Sriracha sauce has been around for almost 100 years.
@Calvin D Sriracha sauce the brand, name, color, bottle, are original made in Thailand 🇹🇭 just look for it "น้ำพริกศรีราชา"
@Calvin D Sriracha itself is Thai word. The word has meaning in Thai language not in English or in Vietnamese or in Chinese. It is also the name of a district in Thailand. The same kind of sauce itself also produced in that district long before the one in the US. And you say nothing related? Also the original Sriracha brand owner can not use the name in the US because someone else has registered the name before the original owner of the brand. It is pure fact. Nothing to do with claiming anything.
@Calvin D Sriracha is literally a district in Chonburi Thailand 💀💀💀💀
I've been contributing to David Tran's wealth for 20 years
30 plus years here!
Wow...much deserved success! I love Siracha!
I am totally loyal to this iconic sauce. I have spent decent money on replacements. None have measured up. I always had more than I need. Now I will wait. I have given away all my replacements. I will wait until I can order the original... great, perfectly balanced Srirachi. There are no replacements for me. I Admire David Tran and his story. His product is also just superior. Fans have always appreciated their favorite sauce but we will never take it for granted again(assuming it will always be there).There will be an audible celebration whan we can get our beloved Sriracha again!
Sriracha is a kitchen essential
Sriracha is the BEST!I have tried all the imitators and NONE comes close! Thank you for staying in California and producing this iconic hot sauce!
He actually told people in Vietnamese papers' interviews about his sauce that he learned the recipe from a lady in the region where he was stationed while he was a still a soldier before 1975. He modified it to his liking and started selling it after the war. In South Vietnam at the time, hot sauces were just as popular as now but the people don't care about the brand because the sauces were sold directly to restaurants, not private consumers. There was very little market for mass-manufactured foods; dry ramen noodle was one of the few exceptions. Also, there were no presence of Thai manufactured foods in Vietnam back in those days because the country hardly had any trades with foreign nations due to Vietnam was sanctioned by US embargo until the 90s.
By the time he came to California in 1980 and produced his sauce to sell to Vietnamese restaurants, my theory is that he 'appropriated' (stole) the use of the term 'Siracha' from Thai- manufactured sauces selling in Asian markets because it sounds Westernized; he can't use the Vietnamese word ("Tuong Ot" is the generic term all Vietnamese use) which is harder for people to read and speak. That's why Tương Ớt was printed on the label but everybody use "Siracha" instead. So really, he didn't get it from copying Thailand sauces.
Sriracha is the name of a Thai town.
@@chinaboss6683 His ancestors came my hometown Chaozhou, China.
@@chinaboss6683 Most Chinese from Thai are ChaoShan regional of China.
@@ptaing8
Chaozhou people are known to be very successful businessmen. They control the Thai economy and many other regions in SE Asia.
@@ptaing8
Note: Thaksin's daughter, also Chaozhou people, are now running for the Thai Parliament.
I’m so proud of him that he came 2 🇺🇸w/t nothing & now is he well known all over the world. I’m happy that I’m also Vietnam & trying 2 b a role like him
Did you watch the video? He had the equivalent of 100k USD of gold in today's money when he left vietnam. A wealthy person leaving the communist country to become more wealthy in USA.
Lol he came with like 100+ thousand.
Pho ain’t Pho without sriracha! 💯
Huy Fong Sriracha is my favorite hot sauce since I tried it at a San Diego restaurant on my favorite beef & broccoli, in the 1980s! I use it in all of my savory recipes to add a much needed kick. I tried a different brand during the shortage. No Bueno!!! My sister went to Vegas and found some Huy Fong, and sent me a bottle! What a 🔥 hot 😎 souvenir!
It's 8/23/23 and I cant find Sriracha anywhere.. The alternatives suck , I need my Sriracha NOW !!!!!!!! Dammit
Sriracha is like Ketchup, you don't know how to use it when first seeing it. But they give Ketchup to you with fries, and they give Sriracha to you with Vietnamese Pho soup noodles.
I use sriracha on everything including fries. If you haven’t tried it’s a must!!!
I love making my own. Ferment tanks and all! My kitchen is full of aroma.
During the stupid pandemic we ran out and couldn’t find it anywhere in Houston it was freaking crazy.
Not gonna lie I have a small stock pile now.
i cant live without it. I love sriracha
Hands down the BEST hot sauce in the world. The sauce has body, flavor, spices, looks and best of all....taste. Other brand sucks because they all lack the correct combinations. There are many imitators(including Tabasco)...but nothing or no one comes close.
I wouldn't say it's the best, but it's good and is a very versatile hot sauce.
@@canuck21 Let me know what's the best for you, always interested in seeing what other people like in a "hot" sauce.
Yep..I totally agree with you. Every time I try it on something new it never fails to make it more delicious! And I tried the Tabasco copy when OG Sriracha couldn't be found and now I'm stuck with 2 bottles of terrible sauce because I bought it at Sam's Club!!
@@kaox44 There's no best hot sauce for me. I eat different chili sauce depending on the food. Like if I eat Chinese food, I go with a chili oil or Koon Yick Wah Kee or Koon Chun (hard to find). If I eat Mexican, then I use one of the El Yucateco sauces.
The sauce tastes terrible imo
The comments about the lawsuit are heavily redacted in this article in David Tran’s favour. Forbes published a feel good article and skipped the dark side of the story. Half points for effort.
There's Vietnamese-made siracha found in the Asian supermarket near my house and it is a lot better IMO. It is less thick, a bit more sour, less spicy, and satisfying. I have been using it since this Siracha is not in store due to lack of chilis. I like it more than this Siracha. Not sure what other people think though
6:30 Here I am eating, watching this next to my Tabasco Sriracha bottle. Fairly good sauce though i have to say. But ain't got nothing on the real deal. Nothing but admiration for the man and his product, mad props.
No! Sriracha does not come from Vietnam. It is the essentially a counterfeit product of the original Sriracha sauce from Thailand down to the shape of the bottle. Sriracha is a Thai word named after a town in Thailand where the original Sriracha sauce brand comes from. It was never invented in Vietnam. Please like so that everyone can see!
He did not steal anything. He made it because he loved the style of sauce. So much so that he even paid homage to the name and labeled it on all his bottles (and no the bottles are NOT the same), and he also named his company after the boat (Huy Fong) that helped him cross his journey. So the man did not take anything for granted. Get your facts straight.
The story of the original sauce has been changed and altered. If anyone has been to Vietnam during that time would know that there is no such Sriracha sauce there. The Namesake and the sauce are originated in Sriracha district (near Pattaya), Chonburi, Thailand, But I am happy for their success.
Is Thai sauce.
I don't know why he chose to call it sriracha but to say that there was no hot chili sauce in Vietnam before Mr. Tran made it famous is ludicrous. I used to live in the part of Saigon that is predominantly Chinese and ate Chinese food every day, usually accompanied with a hot chili sauce.
@David Doan because it is based on original Sriracha recipes invented by a Thai lady in 1940.
@@daviddoan68
Everything about the Sriracha sauce is Thai including the chicken logo.
He actually told people in Vietnamese papers' interviews about his sauce that he learned the recipe from a lady in the region where he was stationed while he was a still a soldier before 1975. He modified it to his liking and started selling it after the war. In South Vietnam at the time, hot sauces were just as popular as now but the people don't care about the brand because the sauces were sold directly to restaurants, not private consumers. There was very little market for mass-manufactured foods; dry ramen noodle was one of the few exceptions. Also, there were no presence of Thai manufactured foods in Vietnam back in those days because the country hardly had any trades with foreign nations due to Vietnam was sanctioned by US embargo until the 90s.
By the time he came to California in 1980 and produced his sauce to sell to Vietnamese restaurants, my theory is that he 'appropriated' (stole) the use of the term 'Siracha' from Thai- manufactured sauces selling in Asian markets because it sounds Westernized; he can't use the Vietnamese word ("Tuong Ot" is the generic term all Vietnamese use) which is harder for people to read and speak. That's why Tương Ớt was printed on the label but everybody use "Siracha" instead. So really, he didn't get it from copying Thailand sauces.
Love the sauce.
I haven't seen a bottle of Huy Fong Sriracha on the shelf since around June 2022 (Pittsburgh area.) I had to order some recently from Amazon because it's so scarce. I can't wait until it's more obtainable and I hope they bounce back from the bad growing season.
If it aint broke, dont fix it. Simple as that. Great recipe and a great businessman behind it. This is the American Dream
Last spring was tough. I bought a case of it once they were back and I'm almost done.
I need help 🤣
The old factory used to be close to my junior high school until they moved to Irwindale many years later, and I came to the US the same year as him and also an immigrant (Boat people) as well. Small world…
Not a lot of people know this but Sriracha is really good on burritos and tacos with a little bit of lime. I am surprised Mexican restaurants don’t serve sriracha with their food.
EXACTLY!!!
As a Mexican, the sauce isn’t bad but doesn’t go as well with Mexican foods like our sauces.
I like el yucateco
I love this stuff! Put it on everything!!!
A wonderful American story and news clip!
Def needed his own documentary... back then it was easier cheaper to buy spaces n shiet.. not in today's market...
Thanks for sharing, I love Siracha hot sauce a lot.
Wow, what a story! Love the the brand of hot sauces.
Enunciate your words and slow down.
Vietnamese hot sauce named after a city in Thailand and made in SoCal. This was essential to getting through college.
Chinese Vietnamese (called người Hoa in VN) are ethnic Chinese living in VN for many generations, there were over 2 millions of them in VN before 1975, most resided in the south, especially ChoLon district in Saigon, where over 90% were Viet-Chinese. They used to control over 90% of south VN trade and therefore very wealthy compared to the locals Viets. Unfortunately, after the communist took over south VN, the Viet Cong nationalized most of ethnic Chinese business, they lost almost all assets, then forced to fled the country, took refuge in Hongkong, China, Malaysia and the Philippines, and later settled mostly in western countries, many came to the US, and are quite successful in all fields, David Tran is one of the most successful businessmen.
My family be killing this hot sauce since the early 90s to now on everything. This sauce on fry eggs,hotdogs and cheap ramen is life saver while growing up lol. The samba and its chile oil is bomb too!!! For some reason the sauce now in days doesnt taste exactly the same and a bit more sweet than the one fron early years and it goes bad and dark too fast. Still a must have and thanks to David for this amazing hot sauce.
Love Sriracha! ❤️
The farmer that grew his peppers he threw under the bus ... and then went to Mexico to buy the peppers and now he is having problems getting enough of peppers... the farmer that grew his peppers now makes the same sauce it is way better.......
Thank you mr Tran
I used to work a couple blocks from his second factory in Rosemead Ca. Depending on which way the wind was blowing one could easily smell the strong odor of the chilis cooking. San Gabriel Valley has become heavily inhabited by Asians and they opened countless Chinese restaurants and on every table was a bottle of Huy Fong. Now its everywhere. The city of Rosemead screwed up and got greedy and thats when Fong moved to Irwindale making Rosemead loose lots of money in city taxes.
Yep...I live in Rosemead and remember seeing all the semi trucks full of peppers or tomatoes heading up Walnut Grove to the factory!
Interesting
@@davidhughes5369
Interesting
"Sriracha" is the name of a province in Thailand that has been famous for the hot sauce for who knows how long. For Thai people the recipe was stolen!
"A rich man's hot sauce at a poor man's price." - love it!
I use sriracha on everything, literally in everything besides desserts.
🤣🤣🤣 Desserts and drinks
Maybe Sriracha on Ice Cream?
🤣
They are a part of American modern classics. Almost all the American richest came out from the near zero starting points like MS, Apple, Amazon, FB, Google, etc and etc. They once were coming from garage based or room based businesses that now connect the humans of the today world together to promote more and more understandings.
I was 4 when we came to HK with my family on boat. It’s been 30 years now and we’re in Canada.
Has it been good for you in Canada?
now theres a shortage :(
Love this sauce. Use it almost every dinner. The worlds best sriracha is also good. I think that’s what it’s called. Normally have it at a WF
Well done Mr Tran
A case study of vertical integration and supplier management.
Awesome 👏🏻
This story reminds me of the Wings Food Ltd Hot Chilli Sauce packets. They had their chilli sauce in every Chinese food spot in Toronto. That packet was a staple for decades and everyone acquired a taste for that specific brand of hot sauce. Now that brand is out of business and I haven't been able to find anything like it. Its amazing that one little thing like hot sauce can bless your life and everyone around you. Inspiring story! 🙂
Sambal Oelek is very underrated. It is an awesome hot sauce I would use with wonton, dumplings, and with proteins like chicken and seafood.
I’ve known about them since 5 years old and I’m 37 years old now!
Amazing story
Because it is the very best flavor and best brand to use for all kind of food, PERIOD......
Siracha is amazing story. I remember there was a shortage.
The America Dream......Love Sriracha!!!
I frequent the area more than I can count but yet to do the tour. I had scricha first when I was young and ate at a Phoa restaurant. Now along with tabasco is part of the hot sauce rotation in my cupboard.
Intriguing story
Insane to think that the top 3 hot sauces are some of the worst tasting.
in 1978, 100 ounces of gold is lot of money in vietnam
I just ate Sriracha in Chinese buffet restaurants because there's nothing else...... i rather die first that eating Tabasco nasty sauce. I pure Mexican don't eat that kind of sauces.
Tabasco is vinegary and watery. I got used to it when eating chicken.
Tabasco is good in some things, but it’s vinegar content overwhelms a lot of things. I made the mistake of dumping too much on a burger and couldn’t taste anything but vinegar.
It was very pity that the plagiarists were praised. Why don't we consider some trade etiquette even though the original product owner still doesn't yet register the copyright of the product name? This is the oppression of poor producers. It is an example that should not be glorified at all.
im pushing 40 and ive been eating sriracha since i was a kid..i never knew it would blow up to this but its really cool to see it grow through the years
I love Sriracha ❤
He’s such an inspiration!! Viet Pride 🤙🏽