Last month the Financial Times and other outlets reported that the Dubai chocolate craze has led to an international shortage of pistachios. Created in 2022 by Dubai-based FIX Dessert Chocolatier, the original milk chocolate bar featured pistachio cream, tahini and knafeh pastry.
Following a viral video from a TikTok influencer, global demand for the Dubai chocolate bars has skyrocketed, and it has inspired releases from Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Shake Shack and more.
As for the international pistachio shortage? Zachary Fraser, president and CEO of the American Pistachio Growers, a nonprofit trade association that represents about 800 pistachio growers in California, Arizona and New Mexico, said that’s not the entire story.
Alternate-bearing pistachios have on and off years. The crop harvested last fall was in an “off” year, and that was coupled with a viral global social media trend, Fraser said.
“The fact that the popularity of Dubai chocolate hit at a time that the crop year was down is what I call a perfect happy accident,” he said. “It is driving an unprecedented amount of demand for our product, and that, combined with the decades’ worth of research that we’ve done on nutrition and the amount of work that we’ve done to drive great promotion around the globe, you lean into it, and you make sure that you take advantage of all the good things you’ve done to lead up to that point.”
While TikTok trends come and go, Fraser said he doesn’t see that happening with pistachios.
“I don’t see the demand going down,” he said. “The taste of an American-grown pistachio is off the charts. The color is amazing. We’re still discovering new ways that we can use a pistachio.”
Fraser said American Pistachio Growers plans to continue to tout the health benefits of incorporating pistachios into diets.
“Rule No. 1 of marketing is you should never complain when something goes viral,” he said. “And No. 2 is you absolutely bust your tail to make sure that it stays that way, and that’s what our team is doing right now. We’re not looking at it as a year-to-year thing. We’re looking at it as this, this should be a good two-decade run for us if we do it correctly.”
Fraser said he’s seen growing demand globally for pistachios, especially in India.
“India is making pistachios a part of their daily diet,” he said. “That’s 1.4 billion human beings. Let’s say 20% of 1.4 billion human beings — 300 million — are making pistachios a regular part of their daily diet.”
While it’s early and harvest isn’t until fall, Fraser said he expects a good-sized crop this year.
“It’s going to be a crop that hopefully can keep up with the demand,” he said. “Demand is outpacing supply, and I think that will continue to be the case.”
Fraser said his organization plans to capitalize on this momentum built by the Dubai chocolate bars and also tout the sustainable practices of pistachio growers in the country.
“We want consumers to know that the Dubai chocolate that they’re putting in their mouth is not only delicious, but it’s sustainably farmed,” he said.
And with the challenges pistachio growers face with water, regulatory issues and an increase in the cost of farming, the Dubai chocolate pistachio craze is a nice reprieve for the industry as it tackles those challenges.
“It’s just a really fun time to be in the pistachio world right now,” Fraser said. “Let’s celebrate something that’s really powerful, really popular.”
