The Hidden Valley Ranch in stock at Lowes grocery store on Forest Drive on Nov. 2 (Photos by Caroline Evans/Carolina News and Reporter)
Have you scoured the aisles of your local grocery store searching for your beloved Hidden Valley Ranch only to leave the store empty-handed, or with another brand?
Clorox, Hidden Valley’s parent company, is dealing with a cyberattack that has affected the dressing’s production.
So stores for months have had trouble stocking what some people call America’s favorite dressing.
Other mayonnaise-based dressing brands are available, including at fast food restaurants.
But for many people, nothing will do but Hidden Valley.
“I see myself trying to go back to Hidden Valley,” said University of South Carolina student Caroline Donaghy. “It’s just tried and true and it works.”
Donaghy has not been able to find the ranch at Publix or Food Lion. She said she has been “settling for other brands.”
Gary Wolcott, a manager at the Food Lion on Devine Street, says that the Hidden Valley ranch shipments have been inconsistent the past few months.
“We used to get it, like, that shelf was packed full, because that was our biggest selling ranch, Hidden Valley. And just recently, it’s been hard to get, like you get some here some there,” he said.
Joey Hasen, a manager at the Food Lion in Five Points, says his store has been out of stock for roughly eight months.
At the Lowes on Forrest Drive, manager Billy Putnam says that while no customers have voiced concerns about the absence of Hidden Valley ranch, they always have had problems keeping it in stock
He said he doesn’t see the issue resolving itself anytime soon.
Clorox announced last month that a cyberattack it disclosed in August led to a decrease in sales and profit, according to CNBC.
The company reports it’s in the process of returning to automated order processing, which should allow it to increase production and shipments.
