Popular Chocolate Brand’s ‘Trending’ Bar on Social Media Is Causing an International Pistachio Shortage

Social media, with its power, can change the world. In some cases, it can also cause worldwide shortages of an item. This is what has happened with Dubai chocolate, which has become a trending topic worldwide, courtesy of some viral videos on TikTok, stated Entrepreneur. 

Dubia chocolate has become a favorite worldwide in many different forms, ranging from candy bars to sundaes. The chocolate's ingredients include tahini paste, crispy kataifi, and pistachio, according to Not Quite Nigella. Social media has increased the dessert's appeal so much that thousands are now demanding a fix of the “Can't Get Knafeh of It” chocolate bar. This demand has become so overwhelming that the world is now facing a shortage of pistachios, stated Entrepreneur. These seeds are mostly grown for supply in either the US or Iran.

“Can't Get Knafeh of It” is the name of the chocolate bar that initially went viral in 2023, stated BBC. It is made by Dubai-based FIX Chocolatier, operated by the couple Yezen Alani and Sarah Hamouda. A video made by Maria Vehera made the Knafeh-inspired chocolate a sensation worldwide. The brand is sold exclusively in the UAE, which gave some foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to use the same recipe and come out with their variants. Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt, being one of those, is selling their imitation at the price of £10 in supermarkets. These imitations, nicknamed 'Dubai chocolate,' have also become a hit, with some UK supermarkets putting a limit on how many bars each customer can buy due to the uncontrollable demand. 

Pistachio's supply was already facing issues because of its poor harvest in the US last year, stated The Guardian. In the US, companies managed to sell them as whole nuts, not thinking that in the following years their kernels could possibly give them record-breaking profit. This decision created problems, since the kernels that are actually used in the high-demand chocolates were now left in few numbers. Whatever was left got immediately wiped out by chocolatiers worldwide, leaving next to nothing for the remaining world, the Independent stated.

This shortage followed a huge price surge. Giles Hacking, from nut trader CG Hacking, claimed that pistachio prices were raised from $7.65 to $10.30 a pound in recent years. The demand has been so overwhelming that it has caused pistachios to 'tap out' for the time being, stated Hacking. Iran, on the other hand, has supplied 40% more pistachios to the UAE than they had done combined in the last 12 months, possibly because of the “Can't Get Knafeh of It” popularity, stated The Guardian. They are also facing a shortage of these seeds. The number of pistachios that are needed in worldwide markets is simply not available at present with manufacturers. 

The whole phenomenon has been unexpected, as per industry insiders. Charles Jandreau, the general manager for Prestat Group, which owns several British chocolate brands, shared that they, along with others, did not expect Dubai Chocolates to take off so quickly. “Suddenly, you see it in every corner shop,” he added.