The owner of the company that makes Sriracha hot sauce gave a delegation from Texas a tour of his Irwindale factory on May 12, but said he would keep the plant in its current location but would consider expanding in Texas.
David Tran, the founder of Huy Fong Foods, Inc., disputed the idea that people living near plant were irritated during pepper grinding operations this past fall.
“We don’t have any odor,” he said.
The delegation from Texas included state Rep. Jason Villaba and tourism officials.
“You have a friend in us,” Villaba said. “Texas is here for you. I can tell you there is no better state in the entire country to do business.”
Tran, an immigrant from Vietnam, started his business in Chinatown in 1980, and the sauce has continually gained popularity. Tran moved the headquarters to Rosemead in the mid-1980s and opened a factory on 23 acres in Irwindale in 2010.
In October, when peppers are seasonal ground, the city of Irwindale filed a lawsuit against Huy Fong Foods on behalf of a people living nearby who said they were irritated by the scent and taste of jalapeno peppers, which some claimed made their eyes water.
A judge stopped short of halting the annual pepper-grinding process, but ordered the factory temporarily shut in November.
Villaba said he would be happy if Huy Fong simply expanded to Texas. He said companies that expand into Texas often end up moving the entire operation there.
Toyota Motor Sales USA of Torrance announced in April it was moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, along with about 2,000 jobs. Toyota Financial Services also is moving, taking about 1,000 jobs.
The Irwindale City Council is scheduled to a consider declaring the factory a public nuisance at its Wednesday meeting.
Earlier, Tran said he had been approached by Arizona officials who asked him to consider a move.
In a move that bodes well for Huy Fong staying put, Tran’s Ventura County jalapeno grower said he planted a new crop to be used to make Sriracha sauce.
