Latest news with #FixDessertChocolatier
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Trader Joe's latest viral treat sold out in a day, here's when it's back
You've got to hand it to Trader Joe's. The grocery retailer knows how to launch new products and get us all to make a fuss about it. Most people shop at Trader Joe's because of their budget-friendly prices on everything from unique snacks and fresh flowers to staples like eggs and milk. But several times a year, Trader Joe's seems to hit it out of the park with new products, releasing items that people go crazy for. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Just this year, there was the mini canvas tote bag, which people literally lined up before dawn to get their hands on. The coveted bags were available for about one minute in special-edition pastel shades of blue, pink, purple, and green. The Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips have been such a sensation that they earned the title of Trader Joe's #1 new product for the company's 16th Annual Customer Choice Awards. Then in the middle of May, Trader Joe's released a Dubai Chocolate Bar, and people lost their minds. I happen to live in a small-ish city, but we have four Trader Joe's locations here, and I called all of them, hoping to get my hands on the viral snack. No luck. Yes, Costco also has these chocolate bars, but sometimes going to Costco is just a whole thing. Image source: Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock Originally crafted by Dubai-based Fix Dessert Chocolatier and popularized on TikTok in late 2023, the "Can't Get Knafeh of It" bar gained global attention for its unique combination of flavors and textures. So it's no wonder that when Trader Joe's "Dubai Style" pistachio cream and kataifi-filled treats hit the shelves on May 26, they were pretty much gone within a day. By the way, Kataifi is shredded phyllo dough that creates a crispy texture in a sweet cookie-like bar. Think of the Dubai-style dark chocolate bar as a super-elevated Twix. Related: Trader Joe's rivals could learn a lesson from the cult favorite company The Trader Joe's rendition, produced by Turkish chocolatier Patislove, offers a similar taste to the Fix Dessert Chocolatier goodie at a fraction of the cost, making it accessible to a wider audience, per usual for Trader Joe's. Of course, people who know and love Trader Joe's are loyal partly because of its commitment to low prices, and the Dubai chocolate bar was no exception. At just $3.99 for a 3.5-ounce bar, the Trader Joe's nibble was a bargain compared to Costco's Fiorella Dubai chocolate, which will cost $44.99 for three 7-oz. bars. The Fix Dessert Chocolatier version will set you back $150 plus shipping for a box of six. Trader Joe's uses the launch of new products like the Dubai Style chocolate bar as a sort of market test on the fly, giving customers the chance to vote with their wallets. If customers love a product enough that it sells out, and they ask for a restock, the company is likely to respond by bringing it back. Some products - including the Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips and the Step up to the Snack Bar Mix - get so popular that they become available year-round. The Dubai Style chocolate bar should be back in stock around June 10, according to my local Trader Joe's. And who knows, if enough customers clamor for it, it just might become a permanent item. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How A Pregnancy Craving Led To One Of The Most Viral Chocolate Bars Of Our Time
If you're a chocolate lover with a social media account, you've probably indulged in, seen, or simply heard of Dubai chocolate. Arguably the most viral chocolate bars of our time, Dubai chocolate bars have an endearing origin story. As the name suggests, Dubai chocolate was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to satisfy a pregnancy craving that Egyptian-British mother-to-be Sarah Hamouda had back in 2021. While pregnant, Hamouda and her husband began a chocolatier business known as Fix Dessert Chocolatier to channel her cravings into a marketable reality. Pregnancy cravings often meld unlikely food pairings that may or may not be appetizing to the rest of us. But Hamouda's craving for a dessert-stuffed chocolate bar was a near-instant hit. While cream, syrup, and nut-butter-stuffed chocolates are nothing new, Fix chocolates draw from the flavors and recipes of the Middle East to create two desserts in one ultra-chunky, colorful, and creatively named chocolate bar. While the pistachio- and knafeh-filled Dubai chocolate is the most globally popular, Fix Dessert Chocolatier also offers a Biscoff cheesecake spread-stuffed bar and a "Cereously Chewsy" bar stuffed with Nutella, brownies, custard, and cereal, to name a few. In a 2024 interview with CNN, Hamouda revealed that the brand had seen an exponential increase in demand thanks to the bars becoming a viral sensation on TikTok. The small home-kitchen-based chocolatier cranks out 500 chocolate bars per day, which usually sell out in a matter of minutes. Read more: Where To Buy Dubai Chocolate In The US, And How Much It Costs The chocolate was well-received locally, but it took a TikTok video of Fix customer and food influencer Maria Vehera breaking apart and munching on these colorful and decadent creations for it to become the global sensation it is today. Since publishing the video on TikTok in 2024, it's received 126.5 million views and inspired countless foodies, chocolatiers, and even popular grocery chains to come up with their own versions. Since 500 chocolate bars a day isn't nearly enough to satisfy the global demand for Dubai chocolate, we've done a bit of research on where to buy Dubai chocolate in the U.S., including how much it costs. Local chocolate shops and online vendors sell high-quality dupes for around $25, only $5 more than Fix. Additionally, the wholesale giant, Costco, has created a new box of chocolate to mimic the viral treat. We've even come up with our own Dubai chocolate recipe to try at home. Pistachio cream like this Gusto Etna pistachio butter, UniqBite toasted kataifi, and even premade Gusto Etna Dubai pistachio chocolate bar filling are all available for purchase on Amazon. These chocolate bars are in such high demand that we've covered rumors of it causing a pistachio shortage. You can always opt for more plentiful fillings like Biscoff cookie butter or Nutella and brownie filings that are also part of Fix's delectable chocolate creations. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
The National
27-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Galaxy launches Dubai chocolate with pistachio kunafa flavour
Chocolate brand Galaxy is joining the Dubai chocolate craze by launching its own pistachio kunafa-flavoured version. The limited-edition Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa will be sold in the UAE and Qatar for Dh30 a bar. It blends the brand's milk chocolate with pistachio and a crisp kunafa centre. Each box contains eight individually wrapped bite-sized pieces. 'This limited-edition creation is more than just a product, it's a response to what consumers here are craving," said Ekaterina Pichugova, general manager at manufacturer Mars Gulf. Dubai chocolate was one of the biggest trends of the last year. Created by Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, the popular treat consists of a chocolate bar filled with pistachio and kunafa, giving it a unique crunchy green texture inside. More than 40 well-known brands and retailers, from Marks & Spencer to Swiss chocolatier Lindt, have since entered the kunafa chocolate segment. In the UK, it even drove up the cost of pistachios, which are mainly imported from the US and Iran. Dubai chocolate's success has also inspired many copycats, with variations around the world. This includes the UAE – where they can be found in grocery shops, petrol stations and even the local baqala – ranging in different sizes and coming in at different price points. In January, a woman arriving at Hamburg airport had 90kg of Dubai chocolate confiscated by German customs officials because it was subject to hundreds of euros in import duties. Mars Gulf said its Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa marks a milestone for the company's first fast-tracked product in the Middle East, taking only four months to be produced and ready to be sold.
The National
27-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Galaxy launches its own Dubai chocolate with pistachio kunafa flavour
Chocolate brand Galaxy is joining the Dubai chocolate craze by launching its own pistachio kunafa-flavoured version. The limited-edition Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa will be exclusively sold in the UAE and Qatar for Dh30 per piece, blending the brand's milk chocolate with pistachio and a crisp kunafa centre. Each box contains eight individually wrapped bite-sized pieces. 'This limited-edition creation is more than just a product, it's a response to what consumers here are craving," said Ekaterina Pichugova, general manager at manufacturer Mars Gulf. Dubai chocolate was one of the biggest trends of the last year. Created by Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, the popular treat consists of a chocolate bar filled with pistachio and kunafa, giving it a unique crunchy green texture inside. More than 40 well-known brands and retailers, from Marks & Spencer to Swiss chocolatier Lindt, have since entered the kunafa chocolate segment. In the UK, it even drove up the cost of pistachios, which are mainly imported from the US and Iran. Dubai chocolate's success has also inspired many copycats, with variations appearing around the world. This includes the UAE – where they can be found in grocery stores, petrol stations and even the local baqala – ranging in different sizes and coming in at different price points. In January, a woman arriving at Hamburg airport had 90kg of Dubai chocolate confiscated by German customs officials because it was subject to hundreds of euros in import duties. Mars Gulf said its Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa marks a milestone for the company's first fast-tracked product in the Middle East, taking only four months to be produced and ready to be sold.
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The Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
M&S restocks viral pistachio chocolate bar – but how does it taste?
Unless you've taken a digital detox of monumental proportions, you'll have heard about the chocolate sensation taking over social media. 'Dubai chocolate' as it's become known, has racked up more than 120 million views on TikTok, sparked a global craving for pistachio cream, and even contributed to international nut shortages. Yes, really. The original Dubai chocolate bar was made by luxury confectionery brand, Fix Dessert Chocolatier, in the UAE. The now treat is a nod to the traditional Knafeh dessert, which is made with spun pastry dough, layered with cheese, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup and finished with a sprinkling of pistachio. The chocolate bars feature a filling of pistachio cream, crispy Kadayif (a fine vermicelli pastry), and a hint of tahini. Think Ferrero Rocher meets baklava, but richer, and infinitely more difficult to track down. Fix Dessert Chocolatier's creations aren't available outside Dubai, but that hasn't stopped brands from attempting to cash in on the viral momentum. First it was Lidl, whose affordable sold out within days. And now Marks & Spencer has joined the pistachio party. Its bar, which launched to fanfare in April, immediately flew off the shelves. It is now back. But does M&S's version live up to the viral hype? And is it worth its £8.50 price tag? I found out. How I tested It will come as no surprise that the testing process for this review involved me eating a lot of chocolate – a particularly hard day in the office for me. For context, I have tried a number of Dubai-style chocolate bars in the past, including Lidl's now sold-out special. So I knew what I was looking for: a good bar is thick and indulgent with high-quality milk chocolate shell, generous lashing of pistachio cream and a satisfying crunch. This is more expensive than your average chocolate bar, so I considered if it really is worth the price – assessing the size, quality of ingredients and if it tastes as luxurious as the price tag suggests.
