Abu Dhabi (TDI): The hype of Dubai chocolate has shaken up the global supply chains of pistachios, triggering a global shortage of the green nut with sky-high prices.
In 2021, a boutique Emirati chocolatier, FIX, launched a milk chocolate, filled with pistachio cream and shredded pastry, which became a global sensation after its TikTok video went viral.
The TikTok video, uploaded in December 2023, has received more than 120 million views, fueling a global craze for this unique pistachio cream filled chocolate.
Due to the wide appreciation, several chocolate companies introduced the flavor, which resulted in the hike of pistachio kernel prices from $7.65 a pound a year ago to nearly $10.30 a pound.
The Dubai chocolate is not cheap at all. Lindt’s Dubai has been offering the chocolate at a retail price of $10 for 145 grams in the United Kingdom, which is double the price of its regular chocolate bars. Still, the high prices have failed to deter the chocolate lovers from hopping on the trend.
On the occasion of Easter, Lindt and Wm Morrison launched pistachio cream Easter eggs. Due to the increasing demand for pistachio cream-filled chocolate desserts, some shops have limited the number of bars each customer can purchase.
Talking about the global surge in pistachio demands, Giles Hacking, Founder of a nut trading company CG Hacking said, “There wasn’t much in supply, so when Dubai chocolate comes along, and [chocolatiers] are buying up all the kernels they get their hands on. … that leaves the rest of the world short.”
According to the data of Iran’s customs office, Iran, which is the second largest producer of pistachios, has exported 40% more pistachios to the UAE from October last year till March 2025, compared to the 12 months before that.
The Board member of Iran’s pistachio association, Behrooz Agah, reported that the recent trends have completely contrasted with the trends before 2023, when the global supply of pistachio had exceeded the demand, leading to a price drop.
Before 2023’s surge in demand, “a variety of byproducts became available such as pistachio butter, oil, and paste, which could be used in a wide range of pistachio-based foods,” and “That was around the same time Dubai Chocolate was launched and gradually went viral worldwide,” Behrooz Agah said.
In California, a few farmers have switched from producing almonds to pistachios in the last few years, but the next season’s harvest would not be available until September this year. Chocolatiers fear that they won’t be able to produce pistachio cream-filled chocolates due to the shortage in supply.
Charles Jandreau, General Manager for Prestat Group that owns UK’s luxury chocolate brands, talked about the recent trends and said, “No one’s ready for this,” and “It feels like it came out of nowhere, and suddenly you see it in every corner shop”
Read More: Pakistani Food Vlogger Mubashir Siddique’s Culinary Adventure in Kazakhstan
The decline in cocoa supply due to extreme weather conditions and poor harvest, which had already caused the price of chocolates to triple in 2024, devastated chocolate lovers.
Now the shortage of pistachio supply coupled with the rise of cheap chocolate knockoffs have not only worried the chocolate lovers but also chocolatiers, who are concerned that others might be exploiting their brand names to mislead their customers.
FIX, the company which had started this viral movement after launching the bar “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” said that it was “incredible” to see how their Knafeh chocolate had inspired other popular brands including Lindt.
However, they are concerned that fake companies might be misleading their customers by selling cheap pistachio cream filled Dubai chocolate with their brand name on it.
The company had issued a disclaimer on their Instagram account that they do not sell outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi and only put them on sale for two hours every day.
FIX’s competitors are also undeterred. Johannes Läderach, the Chief Executive of Swiss chocolatier Läderach, talked about the Dubai chocolate and said, “We launched them a few months ago, and it’s just not stopping, it’s just going through the roof.”
Despite the competition between chocolate companies, one thing is for sure: the rising global popularity of Dubai chocolate will continue to put a strain on the supply of pistachios until the next harvest arrives.
Javaria Khalid is a Web Contributor at The Diplomatic Insight Magazine. She specializes in covering geopolitical developments, international relations, diplomatic, and socio-economic developments in Europe and Pakistan.
