Growing internet frenzy for Dubai‘s viral chocolate could be responsible for a global shortage of pistachios, with prices soaring as appetite continues to grow for the crunchy treat.
The popular milk chocolate bar is filled with crispy knafeh, pistachio cream and tahini spread and was initially launched in 2021 by a Dubai-based Fix Desert Chocolatier.
Inspired by her pregnacy cravings, the chocolate bars were originally designed by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, alongside her husband Yezen Alani, to satisfy Ms Hamouda’s sweet tooth, with ‘FIX’ standing for ‘freaking incredible experience’.
But, it was a viral TikTok video in December 2023 by Maria Vehera, showing her sampling the treat, that sent its popularity skyrocketing worldwide.
Amassing more than 120million views, the clip led to a widespread obsession as avid foodies flocked to UK supermarkets to get their hands on dupes of the chocolate bar, with some confectionaries, such as Waitrose, even forced to limit customers to only buying two bars each.
Since then, several users have taken to social media to share themselves slowly biting into the thick chocolate which makes a loud crack when broken.
However, Dubai chocolate does not come cheap, with even affordable options such as those available from Lidl, selling for £3.44 for just 122g of product.
As queues have reportedly began to form outside UK supermarkets for the viral Dubai chocolate bar, the growing popularity has even been blamed for a global shortage of pistachios
The popular milk chocolate bar is filled with crispy knafeh, pistachio cream and tahini spread, were launched in 2021 by Dubai-based Fix Desert Chocolatier (pictured: a pistachio tree)
The bar went viral after Maria Vehera (pictured) shared a video of herself sinking her teeth into the sweet treat, oozing with gooey green filling made from sweet filo and pistachio
Elsewhere, Nestle, Lidl and Lint have rushed to make their own versions, while Selfridges have had their shelves cleared after fans flocked to the department store in a desperate bid to score the crunchy treat, where prices range from £5 to £27.
The chocolate bars are even so popular that a number of sellers have had their entire stock sold almost instantly, with a Lindt version clearing within just 72 minutes on TikTok shop.
Now, as queues have reportedly began to form outside UK supermarkets, the growing popularity has even been blamed for a global shortage of pistachios.
Such depletion in stocks is even more concerning given that the pistachio market was already struggling in the aftermath of a disappointing harvest last year in the US, its leading exporter.
In California, the pistachio supply fell by up to 20 per cent in the 12 months up to February, according to the Administrative Committee for Pistachios.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Giles Hacking of nut trader CG Hacking, said that the pistachio industry, had become ‘tapped out’ as a result of growing demand, with ‘the rest of the world short’ as a result of chocolatiers making mass purchases of the kernels.
The decline in pistachio has also been seen in Iran, the world’s second-largest producer, who exported 40 per cent more pistachios to the UAE from September 2024 to March 2025, than they did over the course of the full 12 months before that, Iran’s customs office has reported.
Nestle, Lidl and Lindt having rushed to made their own versions while, Selfridges have had their shelves cleared after fans flocked to the department store
In California, the pistachio supply fell by up to 20 per cent in the 12 months up to February, according to the Administrative Committee for Pistachios
Charles Jandreau, general manager for Prestat Group, owner of some of the UK’s most luxurious chocolate brands, said that ‘no one’ had been ‘ready’ for the increased demand for procure kataifi, the shredded Middle Eastern pastry used in the cream.
Meanwhile, Johannes Läderach, chief executive of Swiss chocolatier Läderach, said that the company had become ‘overwhelmed with the demand for Dubai chocolate’.
He told The Financial Times: ‘We’ve launched them a few months ago, and its just not stopping, it’s just going through the roof.’
As the frenzy for the bar continues across the internet, the makers behind the sensation have even complained about its viral success and slammed supermarkets and other brands for making dupes of their expensive and exclusive treat.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Yezen said that the dupes are ‘very frustrating because people are trying knockoffs, which damages our brand’.
He also explained that there is a key difference between their luxury dessert and the dupes being seen across dozens of UK supermarkets.
Notably, the original FIX bar should be kept in the fridge and has a short expiry date while UK versions are designed to have a longer shelf life.
The successful entrepreneur also added that his brand offers a luxury product and are committed to continuing to make it.
Mr Yezen told the BBC: ‘It’s all handmade, every single design is done by hand.
‘We use premium ingredients and the process is not like making other bars – you’ve got the baking, moulding the chocolate to the design and with the filling itself, even the pistachios are hand-picked and processed’.
