TikTok famous Dubai chocolate is being blamed for an international pistachio nut shortage after manufacturers scrambled to snap up stocks to satiate consumer demand.
The social media phenomenon Dubai chocolate is a chocolate bar filled with crispy knafeh pastry (angel hair), pistachio creme and tahini spread. It was first launched in 2021 by Dubai-based Fix Dessert Chocolatier.
Pistachio prices have since tracked upwards from €6.65 ($7.65) a pound last year to €8.96 ($10.30) this year, with experts saying growers and traders are “tapped out”.
Exports of pistachios from Iran, the world’s second-largest producer, to the UAE have risen by 40% in the six months to March 2025, compared to total 2024 exports, the country’s customs office states.
US pistachio supplies down
Heightened demand has come at the wrong time, especially in lead export country the US, where pistachio supplies have fallen 20% in the 12 months to February, data from the country’s Administrative Committee for Pistachios shows.
“There wasn’t much in supply, so when Dubai chocolate comes along, and chocolatiers are buying up all the kernels they can get their hands on, that leaves the rest of the world short,” Giles Hacking from nut trader CG Hacking told the Financial Times.
Brands have jumped on the viral trend, firing out their own iterations at pace.
Variations include:
- Fix Dessert Chocolatier – maker of the the original ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of it’
- Omba Pistachio Cream
- Hotel Chocolat
- Lindt
- Real Dubai Chocolate
- Top Tier
- Petek
- Maison Samadi
- Lidl
- Farhi
- Rifai
- Søstrene Grene
Pistachio’s price hikes come as cocoa prices hit record highs earlier this year. Cocoa prices touched €8.98/kg in December 2024 ($10.32), only to rise further and reach €9.35/kg ($10.75) the next month.
Dubai chocolate scams on the rise
The virality of Dubai chocolate, along with commodity cost increases, has given license to scammers seeking to con consumers out of their money with imitation products.
A series of websites imitating legitimate Dubai chocolate trades, including Fix Dessert Chocolatier, are operating and catching shoppers unawares.
“Scammers are often quick to capitalise on trends, and the Dubai chocolate craze is a prime example of this,” warns Olga Svistunova, expert at cyber security specialist Kaspersky.
Scammers are taking advantage of companies, such as Fix, which do not trade outside of the UAE by promising consumers access to the products through illegitimate sites and social media groups.
However, “we don’t currently offer international shipping or retail outside the region”, says a Fix spokesperson.