Dubai chocolate strain grows
The TikTok‑fueled Dubai chocolate craze has pushed global pistachio demand higher, and recent reporting says conflict‑related pressures are now threatening that supply, which could squeeze makers reliant on pistachios (xataka.com) (ecosistemastartup.com). Coverage traces the viral product back to Fix Dessert Chocolatier and notes the trend spawned millions of videos and long waiting lists before supply strains emerged (ecosistemastartup.com).
A TikTok-fueled chocolate bar that turned pistachio cream into a global craze is now running into a tighter nut market, with prices rising again as war in Iran disrupts supply. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported on April 12 that pistachio prices hit an eight-year high as the war in Iran squeezed exports from one of the world’s biggest producers. Iran is the world’s second-largest pistachio producer, and pistachios are a key ingredient in chocolate, ice cream, and drinks. (bloomberg.com) The demand shock started earlier. In April 2025, reports citing Financial Times data said pistachio kernel prices had climbed to about $10.30 a pound from $7.65 a year earlier, after Dubai-style pistachio bars went viral and buyers scrambled for supply. (malaymail.com) The bar at the center of the trend came from FIX Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. The company says it created the original “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” bar in 2021, built around pistachio paste and crisp knafeh pastry inside a thick chocolate shell. (officialfixdessertchocolatier.com) By 2025, the product had moved beyond a niche dessert into a supply-chain story. One widely shared December 2023 TikTok video helped push the bar into global demand, and later coverage said the clip drew more than 120 million views as copycat products spread. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The squeeze is harder because pistachio farming does not respond quickly. Trees take years to mature, and even in California, growers were coming off a smaller 2024 crop that the United States Department of Agriculture linked to the crop’s natural on-off bearing cycle. (ers.usda.gov) California remains the market’s main buffer, but not an instant fix. The United States has led the world in pistachio production for nine straight years as of 2024, and California had about 488,000 bearing acres last year, yet the 2024 crop was still expected to be 26 percent smaller than the 2023 record. (ers.usda.gov) That leaves chocolate makers exposed to both a fashion cycle and a farm cycle. A dessert that spread through short videos and waiting lists is now tied to orchard yields, export routes, and a war far from the candy aisle. (bloomberg.com)
