Iowa Hot Sauce Company Sues Manufacturer For Bubbling, ‘Exploding’ Bottles

Hot sauce can be intimidating to try but it's hit a different level.

If you don't handle hot stuff well and you do decide to try hot sauce from the grocery store, the last thing you need to happen is for the sauce to start bubbling or the bottle to explode.

That's what Lola's Fine Sauces in West Des Moines is alleging their manufacturer for bottled products has breached contract. The company is Ecoideas Innovation Inc., based in Canada, and the hot sauce company is seeking $700,000 in damages.

In court filings obtained by KCCI, Lola's says that for the last 10 years, they have made a variety of hot sauces and salsas with unique and fresh ingredients and are at retailers like Target, Walmart, and more.

Lola's alleges that in 2023, they entered a contract with Ecoideas to make "mini bottles" of select Lola's products. According to Lola's, Ecoideas said they had the ability to meet Lola's demand for over 1 million units that met stringent production requirements.

Then, in 2024, Lola's says that Ecoideas breached the contract by not preparing labels and products in accordance to the production standards. Since that happened, Walmart had to pull defective Lola's products from their shelves.

In 2025, the most recent issue according to the filing, were the 'exploding' bottles. The issue was mainly with the Lola’s Mango Scotch Bonnet products. Lola's claims social media videos, messages, and more reported the "bubbling, exploding, and fermenting", along with discolored sauce in the bottles.

Lola's says it “appears that Ecoideas failed to fill the bottles at correct temperatures and/or utilize a correct bottle-fill process.”

Ecoideas hasn't filed a response to the lawsuit yet.