How a TikTok craze for Dubai chocolate sparked a global pistachio crunch

A growing demand for pistachio-filled chocolate bars, popularly known as “Dubai chocolate” – fuelled by a viral TikTok trend – has led to a global supply crunch for the green nut, causing its prices to spiral out of control, the Financial Times reported.

The pistachio bar ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of It’ was launched in 2021 by Emirati chocolatier Fix. Two years after the bars hit the market, a TikTok video amassing more than 120 million views created a worldwide craze for the chocolate, turning it into an overnight global sensation.

A sweet and creamy amalgamation of milk chocolate, delicate pastry, and pistachio cream, the bar’s popularity even led to the creation of several imitations online.

As a result of the chain reaction, prices of Pistachio kernel shot up from Rs 654 per pound (453 grams) a year back to Rs 880 per pound, a nut trader told the Financial Times.

This, coupled with low harvest in the US (top exporter of pistachios) and surging demand in UAE, has led to a global demand and supply mismatch. As a result of US’s low yield, pistachio exports from Iran have increased by 40 per cent in nearly six months.

On the contrary, in 2023, when the aggregate global supply of pistachios exceeded the global demand, resulting in low prices for the green nuts, Iran’s pistachio association’s board member told Financial Express.

With the online trend translating into increased sales of the pistachio-based chocolate, several confectionaries across the world revealed that they hadn’t seen it coming, reported Financial Times.

Responding to its increasing global appeal, Fix told the Financial Times that inspiring “a movement in chocolate” was “incredible”, while stating that they were concerned about the fact that there are several others trying to exploit the brand’s name to mislead consumers.