A viral TikTok trend featuring a unique chocolate bar from Dubai has caused a global pistachio shortage and sent prices for the beloved nut skyrocketing. The sweet treat — a blend of pistachio cream, shredded pastry, and milk chocolate — has become a worldwide sensation, throwing the delicate nut market into disarray.
According to The Financial Times, the pistachio chocolate bars, created in 2021 by boutique Emirati chocolatier FIX, initially found favor with local chocolate lovers. But everything changed in December 2023, when TikTok user @mariavehera257 posted a short video featuring the dessert. The clip quickly racked up over 120 million views and ignited a global pistachio chocolate craze.
Since then, demand for pistachio-filled treats has exploded, inspiring a flood of imitations and new product launches by major chocolate brands. Giles Hacking of the British trading company CG Hacking reports that the price of shelled pistachios has jumped from $7.65 to $10.30 per pound within a year. “The pistachio world is basically tapped out at the moment,” Hacking said.
FIX’s original bar — cheekily named Can’t Get Knafeh of It, in reference to the traditional Arabic dessert knafeh — has become a symbol of this new chocolate wave. The company sells the bars only in the UAE, and only for two hours a day, further fueling the frenzy. While FIX says it’s “incredible” to see how their creation inspired “a movement in chocolate,” they also expressed concern that other brands may be misleading customers by capitalizing on their popularity.
Meanwhile, industry giants are rushing to join the trend. Swiss chocolatier Lindt has released its own “Dubai-style” bar in the UK, priced at £10 for just 145 grams — more than twice the cost of its standard chocolate. Some UK stores have even limited how many bars customers can buy. Lindt and UK supermarket chain Wm Morrison have also launched pistachio cream Easter eggs.
The boom in pistachio demand came just as global supply was already under strain. Last year’s U.S. harvest — from the world’s largest pistachio exporter — was weaker than expected. And, according to Hacking, much of the crop was of higher quality, meaning fewer cheaper, shelled pistachios were available for use in chocolates and other processed foods.
“When Dubai chocolate came along and chocolatiers started buying up all the kernels they could get their hands on… the rest of the world was left short,” Hacking explained.
Iran, the second-largest global pistachio producer, stepped in to fill the gap — increasing pistachio exports to the UAE by 40% in just six months leading up to March 2025, compared to the entire previous year, according to the country’s customs office.
This marks a sharp reversal from 2023, when pistachio supply exceeded global demand and prices dropped. “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,” said Behrooz Agah, a board member of Iran’s Pistachio Association. “That was around the same time Dubai Chocolate was launched and gradually went viral worldwide.”
Meanwhile, in California — another major pistachio-producing region — farmers have been shifting from almonds to pistachios due to falling almond prices. However, those new pistachio trees won’t yield harvests until at least September 2025.
Chocolate makers, caught off guard by the surge in demand, are struggling to keep up. “It feels like it came out of nowhere — suddenly you see it in every corner shop,” said Charles Jandreau, general manager of Prestat Group, a UK luxury chocolate brand. He also noted difficulties sourcing kataifi, the traditional Middle Eastern shredded pastry used in the filling.
All of this comes amid an ongoing global cocoa shortage. In 2024, cocoa prices nearly tripled as harvests were hit by extreme weather and disease. Chocolate makers responded by reducing bar sizes and reformulating recipes to cut back on cocoa content.
Despite these mounting challenges, Dubai chocolate’s popularity shows no signs of slowing. “We’re just overwhelmed with the demand for Dubai chocolate,” said Johannes Läderach, CEO of Swiss chocolatier Läderach. “We launched them just a few months ago, and it’s just not stopping — it’s going through the roof.”
In the end, Dubai chocolate has become more than just a fleeting food trend. It’s a global disruptor, shaking up the chocolate industry and nut markets alike. Once again, TikTok has proven its power: one viral video can alter global supply chains and spark a pistachio craze across continents.
This article was prepared based on materials published by The Financial Times. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
The original article can be found at the following link: The Financial Times.
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