Dubai Chocolate trend felt in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — If you use apps like TikTok and have a sweet tooth, you may be familiar with the Dubai chocolate trend. It’s a chocolate bar with a pistachio cream filling that’s taken the world, and the Central Valley, by storm. According to Financial Times, that trend is having a direct impact on rising pistachio prices.

“Every time we try to find it somewhere, it’s gone, so we tried to come here two nights ago and yeah, they were gone as well,” candy shopper Gui Meira said.

Susie Bowen has been in the chocolatiering industry for more than 25 years.

“We can’t make these fast enough and we’re running out of products. I’ve never seen anything become so quickly in demand as the Dubai Chocolate Bar,” owner of Chocolate Wishes and Treats Susie Bowen said.

That demand is having its impact on pistachio prices. According to the Financial Times, pistachio kernel prices rose from $7.65 per pound in 2024 to $10.30 per pound now. 

“We’re trying to keep the price down because chocolate went up 25% again in January. For us, it also went up four times just last year,” Bowen said. “We started out with these bars at $15.”

Next door at Abigail’s Candy Shop, Dubai chocolates are imported from overseas. They had to increase prices from $20 to $30 for their largest Dubai chocolate bars.

“Every other phone call we get is about it. We have four different sizes now that we all get shipped internationally from Dubai,” Abigail’s employee Allie Woods said.

Despite rising prices of pistachios and chocolate itself, folks are still crazy about the candy.

“We sold out of just our huge ones because our biggest ones are the most popular because they’re the thickest,” Bowen said.

The viral trend has also left its mark outside the candy shop.

“I went to go buy pistachios, like, oh, these are a little bit more now and it’s because of how popular they are,” Woods said.

In 2024, California had nearly 500,000 bearing acres covered with pistachio trees. If this trend continues, Susie says more pistachio trees should be planted.

“I just spoke to Paul at Pistachio Factory, and he says that within the last year to two years, their company has exploded. Five years ago, they never experienced anything like this,” Bowen said.

According to Susie, pistachio farmers are now bulking up their workforce as demand soars.

“They are purchasing more equipment, getting more staff, so that they can create the product that is inside this,” Bowen said.