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Texas Pete Hot Sauce seems to be lying to its consumers. Or so Philip White of Los Angeles claims.
The LA resident sued T. W. Garner Food Co. for false advertising demanding they change their name and pay up.
When White first purchased the sauce at Ralph's supermarket in 2021, he believed that the product was made in Texas. Instead, he found out that the condiments are made in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
LA Man sues Texas Pete for false-advertisement
Philip White purchased the hot sauce bottle with a logo of a cartoon cowboy and a white star (similar to that on the Texan flag). The complainant claimed that all of this made the brand look "distinctly Texan," despite its origin being North Carolina.
The lawsuit was filed by The Clarkson Law Firm on behalf of White on September 12, 2022, in the Los Angeles Federal court.
White claimed that the purchase of the $3 bottle was motivated by the "very Texan" looking logo. He added that he wouldn't have made the purchase if not for the "language and images on the front label."
While's complaint's also says:
"The makers knowingly capitalized on consumers’ desire to partake in the culture and authentic cuisine of one of the most prideful states in America."
Philip White even said that the branding has made it possible for the company to
"cheat their way into the $3 billion dollar hot sauce industry at the expense of law-abiding competitors and consumers who desire authentic Texas hot sauce."
All information about the making of the hot sauce is available on the website of its parent company, T. W. Garner Foods Co. It explains how the factory sat on the original Garner Family site ever since its comeuppance in 1942.
The owner, Sam Garner, said that the company landed on the name after deliberating for a long while. Although marketing advisors suggested names like "Mexican Joe," to connote the "piquante flavors' the sauce draws inspiration from, the owners weren't satisfied.
Garner said that the sauce needed to have an American name, which was when they settled on Texas Pete as an homage to the Lone Star state and a nod to a nickname given to Sam's son, Harold.
Netizens react to lawsuit against Texas Pete
Twitterati, however, have found this lawsuit to be a waste of time and resources. They called the claims "stupid" and some even urged the brand to countersue.
One user tweeted how the the bottle states clearly where all the ingredients come from, so lawmakers should not be entertaining the suit.
Prosecutors say that the Texas branding could hurt the sales of smaller businesses from the said state and that branding is important to consumers. Though active on social media, the hot sauce brand is yet to respond to the lawsuit. They have until November 10, 2022 to do so.
