TikTok made it famous: Now this Dubai chocolate might be behind a pistachio shortage

As is the way with the world, TikTok makes things famous. The quick-fire video platform has turned into the failsafe way for you to make your product world famous. While this sounds like a paid promotion, it most definitely is not, but do get in touch. It’s just how things work, and now TikTok might be playing a part in a potential pistachio shortage. Try say that quickly with a mouth full of Dubai chocolate.

‘Dubai chocolate’ originally burst into our lives coming from one specific Emirati chocolatier: Fix Dessert Chocolatier. They began to flood the aforementioned social media site with videos of their product in 2023 and since then it’s taken off - do people still say ‘viral’?.

Whatever the Gen Z word for ‘wicked’ is, Dubai Chocolate seems to be that, and innumerable companies have tried their hand at copying the formula.

‘There is a general lack of supply from this harvest

Big-name brands such as Lindt and Läderach have had a go, as well as Starbucks an Shake Shack, who have both brought out pistachio-inspired beverages. While the nut is grown in the US, a large quantity are imported, with Iran seeing its pistachio exports go up 40% in the first six months of 2025 alone, according to TastingTable.

The increase in price of our little green friend has caused some to link it to the rise in popularity of Dubai chocolate. However, this seems like a string case of apophenia, humankind’s intriguing - but in this case ultimately flawed - ability to perceive patterns in seemingly unrelated events.

Speaking to EuroFruit, U.K.-based nuts and dried fruit expert (how much would I not want to get cornered at a wedding with that man) Darren Cheshire said that the link between the price hikes and the want for green chocolate is “just a red herring. There is a general lack of supply from this harvest that became apparent at the same time as the hype around the Dubai chocolate bar, [but] there is no causality between them.”

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The nut, interestingly, goes through alternating cycle of high and low yields, known as alternate bearings; this is why we’re seeing a dip in numbers being produced this year. Don’t believe the hype.

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