Resellers mark up ‘Dubai chocolate’ as TikTok feeds sweet treat craze

The Dubai chocolate bar has taken social media by storm in the last several months. Originally created in the United Arab Emirates by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, the sweet treat is a milk chocolate bar with a creamy pistachio and crispy kataifi filling. 

Since the original chocolate bar is handmade, it can only currently be bought in the UAE. Nonetheless, this has not stopped a slew of recreations from hitting the global market, with premium Swiss chocolate maker Lindt also launching its own version.

In a bitter blow to sweet lovers, however, these recreations are immensely popular as well, meaning they often sell out in a few hours, if not minutes.

In Portugal, many of these bars end up on resale sites like OLX and Vinted, marked up at a higher price. As a result, these bars can cost anywhere between €5 and €50 on these websites, according to Portuguese weekly publication Expresso.

One version of the chocolate bar, available at Lidl in Portugal for €4.99, is resold for about four times the original price, at approximately €20. One of Lindt’s employees told lifestyle media NiTthat the bars were sold out in 40 minutes. 

These recreations have become so popular that buyers have started buying them in bulk. Others have reportedly queued up for hours outside stores, only to not even be able to make it to the shelf before it’s sold out. 

Sourcing Dubai chocolate across Europe

Supermarkets in many other European countries including France, the UK, and Germany have also started stocking Dubai-style chocolate. Even so, a German court in the city of Cologne ruled at the start of this year that Aldi could only label its product as Dubai chocolate if it had come from the UAE. The chocolate in question came from Turkey.

Spinoffs of the bar, such as Dubai Chocolate Bar cakes, have also started popping up now and are seeing increasing popularity. 

Sarah Hamouda, founder of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, told CNNthat the company was currently receiving approximately 100 orders per minute, whereas before it was just six or seven a day. 

Chocolate lovers who have not been able to lay their hands on the famous bar yet can turn to a number of social media content creators who give lessons on how to make this treat at home. 

Why is the Dubai Chocolate Bar so expensive?

The original Dubai Chocolate Bar by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, dubbed the “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” bar, is priced at a relatively steep AED 68.25 (€17.20). Creators say the price is linked to the fact that the bar is handmade, as well as its premium ingredients, which include Belgian or Swiss milk chocolate, pistachio and knafeh.

The boost from social media platforms such as TikTok has contributed to its steep price as well, especially on resale sites. Similarly, as the original bar is not sold outside the UAE, and recreations are often available in very limited quantities, the bar’s exclusivity has lifted its price.