Dubai chocolate sparks pistachio shortage as TikTokers go nuts: FT
3 Min Read
The viral success of the pistachio Dubai chocolate caused a global pistachio shortage, driving up prices and leading to concerns over brand exploitation and overwhelming demand.
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Lindt Dubai Chocolate’s US debut at the NYC event on December 12, 2024. (AP)
The Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday that the viral Dubai chocolate has caused a global pistachio shortage, significantly driving up prices for the green nut.
The chocolate, a combination of pistachio cream, shredded pastry, and milk chocolate, was a success when first introduced in 2021 by the Emirati chocolatier FIX, but a TikTok video posted in December 2023, which has garnered over 120 million views, made it viral worldwide.
This success led to a surge in demand for pistachio chocolate, sparking a wave of imitations. As a result, pistachio kernel prices have jumped from $7.65 a pound last year to around $10.30 a pound, according to Giles Hacking of nut trader CG Hacking. "The pistachio world is basically tapped out at the moment," he commented.
Pistachio supplies were already strained following a poor harvest in the US last year, the nut’s primary exporter. The US crop was also of unusually high quality, leaving fewer of the cheaper, shell-free kernels typically used in chocolate and other food products, said Hacking.
“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,” Hacking said.
On the other hand, Iran, the world’s second-largest pistachio producer, saw a 40% increase in pistachio exports to the UAE in the six months leading up to March 2025, compared to the previous 12 months, according to Iran's customs office.
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According to FT, this shortage is a stark contrast to 2023, when global pistachio supply exceeded demand, leading to a price drop, as noted by Behrooz Agah, a board member of Iran’s pistachio association.
Agah explained that the surplus in 2023 led to an influx of pistachio byproducts, including pistachio butter, oil, and paste, which were used in various pistachio-based products. This period, according to FT, coincided with the launch of Dubai Chocolate, which gradually went viral worldwide.
In the meantime, chocolatiers say they can’t produce enough of the cream-filled bars.
“It feels like it came out of nowhere, and suddenly you see it in every corner shop,” said Charles Jandreau, general manager for Prestat Group, which owns luxury UK chocolate brands.
FIX, the chocolatier behind the viral pistachio bar "Can’t Get Knafeh of It," named after a traditional Arab dessert, expressed that while it was "incredible" to see how they had inspired "a movement in chocolate," they were concerned about others potentially exploiting their brand and misleading customers. It is worth noting that the company, which only sells its bars within the UAE and for just two hours a day, emphasized that they do not distribute its products internationally.
We are “just overwhelmed with the demand for Dubai chocolate," said Johannes Läderach, chief executive of Swiss chocolatier Läderach.
