Sriracha maker Huy Fong Foods warned customers in April that the company was running out of perhaps the most essential ingredient in its hot sauces: chili peppers. The chili pepper shortage has put an end to the production of many of Huy Fong Food's products, and customers can expect to start seeing bare spots on grocery store shelves, as well.

"Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products," the company wrote in a letter posted to a food wholesaler website on April 19.

The production interruption includes the Huy Fong Food's Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce, as well as the Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek sauces.

According to the hot sauce company, poor weather conditions are to blame for the current dearth of chili peppers. The peppers Huy Fong Foods uses are sourced in Mexico. New Mexico, and California, a region that has been facing a historic drought.

"We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest," Huy Fong Foods wrote in a recent statement to NBC News. "We hope for a fruitful fall season and thank our customers for their patience and continued support during this difficult time."

In the April 19 letter, Huy Fong Foods said that anyone who submitted an order after that date would have to wait until after Labor Day for the order to be filled. Already, at least one restaurant is no longer offering free Sriracha in an effort to make their low supplies last.

Social media has also been peppered with posts from shoppers stocking up on their favorite condiment. In response to the posts, some users compared the Sriracha hoarders to pandemic-era hoarders of toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

Since the pandemic began, chili peppers were just one of an endless number of products in short supply. When the drought struck the region, that shortage became a full-blown crisis.