The rapid popularity surge of Dubai chocolate has contributed to a significant global pistachio supply issue, intensifying a worldwide shortage and driving up prices. These chocolate bars, blending pistachio cream, shredded pastry, and milk chocolate, gained mild success after their 2021 release by the boutique Emirati chocolatier, FIX. However, a TikTok video uploaded in December 2023 propelled them into international fame, accumulating over 120 million views and creating a global demand for pistachio chocolate while inspiring numerous imitations.
As a result of this craze, pistachio kernel prices have escalated from $7.65 per pound a year ago to approximately $10.30 per pound, according to Giles Hacking from nut trading company CG Hacking. Hacking noted that the pistachio market is currently exhausted. Despite the high price, Lindt’s Dubai chocolate bars are retailing at £10 for 145 grams in the UK, more than twice the price of its other bars. Consumer enthusiasm is so high that some retailers are rationing how many bars each customer can purchase, and companies like Lindt and British supermarket Wm Morrison have introduced pistachio cream Easter eggs.
Pistachio supplies were already dwindling after last year’s inadequate harvest in the United States, the world’s primary exporter. The higher-than-usual quality of the US crop reduced the availability of cheaper, shell-free kernels typically used in chocolate and other food products, as explained by Hacking. With FIX’s extensive buying, the rest of the world is left with limited supplies.
Iran, the second-largest producer, increased its pistachio exports to the UAE by 40% in the six months leading up to March 2025, compared to the entire previous year, as reported by Iran’s customs office. This shortage starkly contrasts with the situation in 2023 when the global pistachio supply surpassed demand, leading to a price decline, as Behrooz Agah from Iran’s pistachio association noted. During that glut, various byproducts like pistachio butter, oil, and paste became available, coinciding with the Dubai chocolate’s debut.
In California, some farmers have started transitioning from almonds to pistachios due to low almond prices, though the new trees will not yield fruits until the next season’s harvest in September. In the interim, chocolate makers are struggling to meet the demand for the cream-filled bars. Charles Jandreau, general manager for Prestat Group, which owns luxury UK chocolate brands, mentioned witnessing the bars’ sudden ubiquity and described difficulties in sourcing kataifi pastry.
The chocolate sector was already grappling with a cocoa supply shortage, which nearly tripled prices in 2024 due to adverse weather and disease affecting crops. Producers are selling smaller bars with modified recipes to reduce cocoa usage.
FIX, which named its original popular bar “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” after a traditional Arab dessert, expressed concern over potential exploitation of their brand by others, noting these bars are only sold within the UAE for limited hours daily. Meanwhile, competitors remain unfazed by the situation. Johannes Läderach, CEO of Swiss chocolatier Läderach, described being overwhelmed by the demand for Dubai chocolate, stating that sales have been soaring since the launch a few months ago.
