Latest news with #Hamouda
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Egypt Independent
Shocking new revelations over death of Nawal al-Degwy's grandson
Shocking new developments have arisen regarding the death of Ahmed al-Degwy, the grandson of Nawal al-Degwy, after the family's lawyer Mohamed Hamouda put forward new evidence that suggests his death was not a suicide. During a phone interview with TV host Amr Adib on the 'al-Hekaya' (The Story) show on Friday, Hamouda said that all the rumors circulating about Ahmed's suicide do not stand up to scrutiny. He assured that his client did not suffer from any psychological disorders, as some believe. The family's lawyer added that several eyewitnesses reported hearing what sounded like an argument inside the villa where the incident occurred, moments before the sound of gunfire. This, he said, reinforces the possibility that other parties are involved in the case. Hamouda continued, 'There are extremely dangerous people responsible for Ahmed al-Degwy's death and all these issues.' The family's lawyer stated that investigations are still ongoing, noting that the Public Prosecution is re-examining the crime scene, revealing new information, including the presence of another gun in the incident. Hamouda concluded his remarks by emphasizing that the only body authorized to announce the facts is the Public Prosecution, expressing his confidence in its ability to uncover the full truth soon.
CNBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Why everyone is selling Dubai chocolate bars
As a new chocolate trend takes over the globe, U.S. companies like Shake Shack and Crumbl have worked quickly to capitalize on its continuing popularity with limited edition spinoffs, while other chocolate manufacturers have created dozens of dupes sold at Target, Costco, Amazon and now Trader Joe's. The idea for "Dubai chocolate" was first sparked in 2021 by Fix Dessert Chocolatier founder and CEO Sarah Hamouda's pregnancy cravings, she told CNBC. The original chocolate bars are filled with a mixture of pistachio cream, kadayif (shredded phyllo dough) and tahini. "All I knew in my head is that I wanted to create this chocolate bar that's essentially a dessert encased in chocolate, but looks and feels like a chocolate bar," Hamouda said. In December 2023, the bars went viral on social media. "Instead of getting one order every week, we started to get 10, 15 orders," she said. "It was exciting, but it was also like, you know, oh my God, like, how is this happening." The Fix bars are only available in Dubai and drop twice a day on local delivery service Deliveroo. They're periodically available at Dubai International Airport's Duty-Free shop, which reported that over 1.2 million bars were sold in April, generating $22 million in sales. Yet, the United Arab Emirates isn't part of the international trademark treaty that would secure protection for the Dubai chocolate name, which makes it easy for any company to make an imitation of the bar. Chocolate manufacturer Lindt, which posted $6.2 billion in its full fiscal-year 2024 earnings, sold a limited-edition bar in December 2024, and said it's developing a new permanent Dubai chocolate recipe "in response to overwhelming demand." Shake Shack launched a limited-edition milkshake in April with the flavors. Crumbl is working on a brownie spinoff. Starbucks didn't create an official product, but promoted a customer's idea for a Dubai chocolate-inspired drink, which it later said boosted sales among Gen Z consumers. Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin', which are owned by Inspire Brands, have each launched Dubai chocolate-inspired desserts in other countries like Malaysia and the Netherlands, but wouldn't confirm if they were bringing them to the U.S. markets. Nuts Factory, a New York City based dried fruit and nuts store, says it was the first company to make a dupe of the bar in the city. It launched in July after testing out different versions in just a couple of days, according to its CEO Din Allall. The bars are made by hand, and it had to impose a one-bar-per-customer limit in stores that summer. "People just started calling nonstop. We couldn't meet the demand, and we just turned the world upside down to make sure we meet the demand. And I think now we're in good shape," he said. Allall said the company used to make a "couple hundred" bars per day. Now it makes a "few thousand" daily, as the stores have added more flavors, hired additional workers and bought more machines to meet demand. Nuts Factory has also created other Dubai chocolate-inspired desserts. So far the trend has lasted for 18 months, and companies are still joining in. Trader Joe's just launched arguably the cheapest Dubai chocolate dupe at $3.99 per bar. It's too early to track "Dubai chocolate" flavor combinations on restaurant menus, says food service consulting firm Technomic, but chocolate-pistachio flavor combos on restaurant menus were up 22.3% between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the same period in 2024, and increased 5.9% the year prior. Watch this video to learn more.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- 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.
Courier-Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
‘Absolutely perfect': Viral choccy lands in Aus
Don't miss out on the headlines from Eat. Followed categories will be added to My News. A household name chocolate brand has finally released its own version of a viral sweet treat in Australia – and foodie influencers have weighed in. Lindt released its Dubai Style Chocolate this week, a tribute to the beloved recipe created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier Sarah Hamouda. Ms Hamouda initially created the indulgent treat, which features a large milk chocolate shell with pistachio cream and shredded Kadayif pastry inside, in 2021. But it wasn't until a social media post two years later that it went viral. X Lindt's version, which is sold only in its stores, features 45 per cent pistachio filling, Kadayif pastry, nut brittle and milk chocolate. It retails for $20. It's nowhere near as chunky as the version popularised by Ms Hamouda's recipe. Popular food content creator Nectorious Papi was one of the first to try it, saying for him it was perfect because of how thin it is. Lindt has released its Dubai Style Chocolate, a tribute to the beloved recipe created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier Sarah Hamouda. Picture: TikTok/@nectoriouspapi TikTok creator @forevavictoria said she went to the shop first thing as she anticipated a long line up for the sweet treat. Picture: Birkenhead Point/TikTok 'It's not as thick as the other ones you've been seeing online,' he told his followers. 'It's the perfect balance between the milk chocolate and the pistachio, because I feel like the other ones can be a little bit sickening. This one is absolutely perfect.' TikTok creator @forevavictoria said she went to her local Lindt store first thing as she anticipated a long line up for the sweet treat. After digging in, she said it didn't really taste how she thought it would. 'The fact that I was craving this for so long and I feel like it doesn't taste how I imagined it to taste,' she told her followers. 'It's a bit disappointing. It's not bad but I wouldn't buy it again for $20.' X Last month, a report revealed pistachio kernel prices surged from $12 a pound (almost half a kilo) a year ago to around $16 a pound, according to Giles Hacking of global nut trader CG Hacking. 'The pistachio world is basically tapped out at the moment,' he told the Financial Times. Thankfully, while many countries have been affected by the shortage, Australian supply has largely remained unaffected. Coles said it had a 'great supply of pistachios available' to cope with the growing demand from customers. 'We have seen a noticeable trend in customers seeking pistachio-flavoured food items, and we are committed to offering a wide range of products in this flavour for everyone to enjoy,' a spokesperson told Woolworths also said it had been unaffected by the shortage. Originally published as 'Absolutely perfect': Viral choccy lands in Aus
Arabian Business
28-04-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
EXCLUSIVE: Creator of viral ‘Dubai Chocolate' recipe says he was written out of global success story
The Filipino chef who co-created Dubai's viral pistachio kunafa chocolate has revealed he was an original investor in the venture before stepping away—only to watch the product achieve global recognition without him. Chef Nouel Catis, a dessert specialist with 16 years of experience in the UAE, said in an exclusive interview with Arabian Business that he co-developed the confection for FIX Dessert Chocolatier and helped purchase equipment to launch the brand. However, he exited the business arrangement before it went viral. 'It was really the intention to have an equal partnership, where I put my money into the technical side, the operational side, while she [Sarah Hamouda] does the branding [and] marketing,' said Catis, referring to FIX's founder. Catis said he felt disappointed at being excluded from the brand's public narrative as its success grew. 'If I'm paid for my work as a consultant, I don't expect credit. But if it's a collaborative project—something we developed together—then [credit] should be given,' he said. Much of FIX's origin story, widely reported as stemming from Hamouda's pregnancy cravings, remains intact. Catis confirmed she was pregnant during their partnership but noted, 'Chefs are there because if you don't have the skill set, they're there to make things happen.' He added that the growing media attention around the brand risks diminishing the role of professional chefs. 'It's kind of saying to chefs that their profession isn't something you work hard on. We need to validate that chefs have worked to become who they are,' he said. Intellectual property lessons from viral success The pistachio kunafa chocolate bars—blending nut cream and pastry inside a thick chocolate shell—exploded in popularity in 2024, triggering pistachio shortages and global imitation. As FIX's profile rose internationally, Catis said he found himself largely omitted from the public narrative, despite creating the signature recipe and investing in the initial production setup. 'The main takeaway for me was, because of what happened, I became a wiser person,' he said, urging culinary entrepreneurs to prioritise legal clarity. 'If you have to start a business with a friend or family member, you have to do what is right from the start, which is doing paperwork.' According to Catis, the two initially registered the business as partners with local authorities, but that registration was allowed to lapse. In 2022, Hamouda went on to trademark the brand independently, around the time Catis shifted into more of a support role rather than continuing as a partner. He said the arrangement gradually dissolved without a formal discussion. From Jordan to Dubai Catis's passion for Middle Eastern flavours began in Jordan, where he was first introduced to authentic Nabulsi kunafa. 'I fell in love with Arabic desserts and food. It just made sense for me when I was in Jordan, that I should continue my journey in the Middle East,' he said. Before the rise of 'Dubai chocolate,' Catis had already made a name for himself as a dessert innovator across the Gulf, contributing to several brands including Kuwait's Choco Melt. 'This isn't the only thing I've made viral—but it's the only one that made it global,' he said. 'Most of my clients are Kuwaitis. I've done a lot of famous recipes in the Middle East.' He recalled the painstaking early days of FIX, making chocolate bars by hand and delivering them to friends, influencers, and family for feedback. The process caused physical strain and eventually led to investment in tempering machines and custom molds to meet demand. 'I was making 28 bars at a time. It was very difficult,' he said, describing the 200-gram signature bars as 'thick and iconic.' Despite the challenges and the outcome, Catis said he bears no ill will toward the product's imitators. 'I've worked on so many brands that became iconic, and they all got copied. I'm okay with it, because it shows the idea works.' The Dubai chocolate phenomenon has had a noticeable impact on global markets, with pistachio prices reportedly rising from $7.65 to $10.30 per pound. Iran increased pistachio exports to the UAE by 40 per cent to meet surging demand. Catis's new venture, Snaap DXB, sold out its initial 3,000-bar batch within two days of launch in October 2024. The brand opened its first physical store in Dubai's Marsa Boulevard in February 2025. He now hopes to position Snaap as a homegrown UAE brand with global aspirations. 'It's a brand that can probably say it's made in the UAE, and it will represent the UAE to the world,' he said.
