A chocolate bar from Dubai has taken the world by storm — and it’s causing a big stir in the pistachio market.
The bar, called “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It,” was made by FIX Dessert Chocolatier. It mixes milk chocolate, crunchy kataifi pastry, and creamy pistachio filling. At first, it was just a local treat. But everything changed when a TikTok video featuring the bar went viral in December 2023, gaining over 120 million views.
After that, global demand for pistachio-filled chocolate shot up. As a result, pistachio prices rose sharply — from $7.65 to $10.30 per pound in just one year.
Experts say the high prices are due to more people wanting pistachios and less supply to go around. The U.S., the largest pistachio producer, had a smaller harvest recently. To deal with this, they’ve been selling more whole in-shell pistachios, which means there are fewer shelled pistachios available for making chocolate.
Iran, another major producer, increased its pistachio exports to the UAE by 40% in just six months to help meet the rising demand. Even so, there’s still not enough to go around. In some places, shops have started limiting how many pistachio-based chocolate products people can buy.
The sudden popularity surprised many chocolate makers. Charles Jandreau, manager of the luxury chocolate brand Prestat, said, “It feels like it came out of nowhere.”
Big names like Lindt and Läderach have also started making their own pistachio chocolates — but they’re facing the same supply problems.
This whole situation shows just how powerful social media can be. A single viral video turned a local UAE dessert into a global trend, creating a pistachio shortage and shaking up the chocolate industry.
Even though FIX Dessert Chocolatier still sells the bar only in the UAE, its impact is being felt around the world — proving that viral fame can lead to real-world consequences.
