Why Huy Fong Turned On Its Sriracha Farmer After 28 Years

For 28 years, Craig Underwood grew every jalapeño in a bottle of Huy Fong Sriracha — on a handshake. In November 2016, that partnership ended in eight days. This is what the court record shows happened in between. Chapters 0:00 "If we were still producing them" 1:19 A letter in 1988 3:11 Growth becomes dependence 5:05 Eight days 6:44 The company in between 8:40 A season with nothing to plant 9:33 What the court saw 11:05 The field after the split Sources • Huy Fong Foods, Inc. v. Underwood Ranches, LP — Ventura County Superior Court, Case No. 56-2017-00505141-CU-BC-VTA; Court of Appeal of California, Second District (opinion and record excerpts shown on screen) • California Secretary of State — CHILICO, LLC, entity no. 201634510114 • Huy Fong Foods letter to customers, 19 April 2022 • Interview: Craig Underwood (OTSS Podcast, 2025) • Archival footage: "Sriracha" (2013, dir. Griffin Hammond); CNBC (2023); Los Angeles Times (2013–2014); Travel Channel; Underwood Ranches Archival material is used under fair use for documentary commentary, criticism and reporting. All rights remain with the original owners. Clause One takes one business decision and reads it back from the record — court filings, interviews, and the people who were in the room. One question per episode.