Sriracha Yogurt Is Here to Spice Up Snack Time

1 minute read
By Olivia B. Waxman
Updated: | Originally published: ;

Sriracha-mango and chipotle-pineapple are two of the newest Chobani flavors.

They are the latest products in the brand’s “flip” series, which comes with yogurt and toppings. The sriracha-mango combo is low-fat mango yogurt with “sriracha-coated rice crisps, mini sesame sticks, and roasted and salted cashew pieces,” while the chipotle-pineapple one includes low-fat pineapple yogurt with chipotle-flavored granola, “smoked almonds, and pumpkin seeds.”

The sriracha kind is the latest novelty in the culture of unusual, sriracha-flavored food items, from Pringles to hummus to candy canes.

Some even see the new flavors as a way to spice up the market amid slowing Greek yogurt sales, as the Wall Street Journal reported in May 2015 that “Chobani’s share of Greek yogurt sales in the U.S. is down nearly 15 percentage points to 44% from its peak in January 2012.” A Chobani spokesperson says the company’s market share trend of Greek yogurt “continues to grow,” as well as sales, which, in terms of dollar sales, have “grown” 11% year-over-year and were up 18% in November.

Photos: An Inside Look at a Sriracha Factory

Chilies are ground in a mixing machine.
Jalapeno peppers, grown in nearby Ventura County, are crushed inside the Huy Fong Foods factory in Irwindale, Calif.Peter Bohler for TIME
Lids for Sriracha bottles flow into a large container.
Sriracha sauce is bottled on site and topped with distinctive bright green caps.Peter Bohler for TIME
The bottles for Sriracha are made and printed on site. Here, new bottles come off the conveyer belt.
Sriracha’s trademarked look includes clear bottles printed with white text.Peter Bohler for TIME
A forklift moves barrels of chili around the warehouse where they are stored until needed for processing into Sriracha, Chili Garlic and Sambal Olek—ground chilis with no added ingredients.
A forklift moves barrels of crushed chilies stores in the on-site warehouse.Peter Bohler for TIME
Uncapped barrels of chili are pumped into the mixing room.
Crushed chilies are eventually mixed with sugar, salt, garlic and vinegar to make Sriracha.Peter Bohler for TIME
Sugar and powdered garlic are added to the mixture, which is ground again into Sriracha.
Sugar and powdered garlic are added to the mixture, which is ground again into Sriracha.Peter Bohler for TIME
Bottles of Sriracha being filled. When CEO and founder David Tran started making chili sauce in Vietnam, he and his family hand-filled bottles with spoons.
Bottles of Sriracha being filled. When CEO and founder David Tran started making chili sauce in Vietnam, he and his family hand-filled bottles with spoons. Peter Bohler for TIME
Filled and capped bottles of Sriracha come off the assembly line and are organized for boxing.
Filled and capped bottles of Sriracha move along an assembly line on their way to be boxed and shipped.Peter Bohler for TIME
A machine boxes Sriracha for shipping.
A machine boxes Sriracha bottles that will end up in restaurants and on grocery store shelves.Peter Bohler for TIME
A worker adds steel supports to a pallet of barrels. The supports allow Huy Fong to stack the barrels on top of each other without the weight of the chili crushing the barrels.
A worker adds steel supports to a pallet of barrels. The supports allow Huy Fong Foods to stack chili-filled barrels five layers high. Peter Bohler for TIME

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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com