The pistachio market has broken

He pistachio It is news. And it is told of something that a priori has little to do with the fields of the United States, Iran or Türkiye in which it is cultivated: the viral success of A chocolate prepared in Arab Emirates. It sounds like gallimaties, but that is the peculiar situation with which companies in the sector are now. As the Dubai chocolate (A sweet basically made with cocoa and pistachio) gains fame worldwide, the demand for this last fruit has shot up until reduce your stock and shoot prices.

“It’s basically exhausted,” companies warn.

A viral chocolate. Dubai chocolate has two different birth dates. One is that of its launch, In 2021when the Emiratí Fix dessert chocolatier decided to combine cocoa, pistachos and Kadayif Turk on the same tablet. The second is December 2023, date on which A video of Tiktok which already exceeds 124 million views (and growing) made it a viral phenomenon. From that moment and despite the fact that their ounces are not exactly cheap, Dubai chocolate unleashed a real fever and became an object coveted by the Foodies.

Pulling the market. Such was its commercial success that Dubai chocolate inspired home versions … and imitations. One of the most popular (or at least media) was presented just a month ago by the Lidl supermarket chain. Its tablets, made by JD Gross, its “Premium Chocolates” brand, cost 4.49 euros (quite less of those popularized by Fix) and launched as part of a limited edition that was sold only for a few days. The result: queues, a delusional sales rhythm (there is talk of an average of 72 tablets dispatched per minute on the Tiktok channel) and resale in Vind At triggered prices.

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And the pistachio broke. The sale of imitations, the viral videos of Tiktok and the resale at exorbitant prices in Vinted were not the only consequences of the chocolate fever. Another place where it has been felt (and with forcefulness) is the world pistachio industry.

I told it a few days ago Financial Times in An article In which he explains that the demand for Dubai’s tablets has fully impacting the supplies of this fruit, aggravating his world’s shortage and shooting his prices. As proof, it provides a data revealed by the Chicking Ch Hacking company, based in the United Kingdom: if a few years ago the pistachio pound was paid at $ 7.65, right now that same amount is quoted at $ 10.30.

“Practically exhausted”. The phrase It is of Giles Hacking, of CG Hacking, and clearly and concisely describes the situation that, in his opinion, is going through the industry: “The pistachio market is practically exhausted at the moment.” To understand how the sector has reached that point, nevertheless we must go beyond the tablets created by Fix Dessert. Before the Emiratí firm broke the market with its Dubai chocolate, the companies already dealt with a domestic waning stock caused by last year’s bad harvests in the US, the main exporter of the fruit.

As if that were not enough, the quality of the grain led to the amount of cheap pistachio and without peel that is usually sold to make tablets. In summary: a scenario not easy for chocolateras.

“The rest of the world was short”. Hacking Recognize That the starting point for the industry was no longer good, with a modest pistachio offer, and the situation had just complicated with the chocolate boom. “When the Dubai arrives and the chocolateros buy all the grains that fall in their hands the rest of the world falls short,” remember.

The data of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that the US is by far the main supplier of pistachios in the world. In 2024/2025 a total of 503,230 metric tons attributed, about 43% of world production. The second place, with 33%, is occupied by Türkiye, followed by Iran (17%), Syria (5%) and the EU (3%). Statista data They reflect that during the year 2023/2024 the US weight in the global market was even greater.

The other focus: Iran. Financial Times Point out That pistachio offer in California was reduced by around 20% in a year, just in the 12 months prior to February. The US is, however, the only country that has given signs that the pistachio distribution chain has tensioned coinciding with Dubai chocolate fever.

Iran, another heavyweight in the dry fruit market, has also seen how its market experienced draft changes. In the six months prior to March 2025, the country exported 40% more pistachios to the United Arab Emirates than throughout the previous 12 months, according to the Iranian customs service records. The photograph is quite different from that of the sector in 2023, when the world supply of grain exceeded demand and ended up shaking prices.

A challenge (more). The truth is that pistachio scarcity coinciding with the Dubai chocolate boom, the elaboration of homemade versions, the sale of commercial imitations and even the appearance of new products that incorporate the fruit (the supermarket chain WM Morrison He has launched Easter eggs with pistachio cream), adds a new headache for the chocolate industry.

The Lidia sector for a long time with its particular cocoa crisiswhich has affected to stock and pricesand now also faces the effects of the commercial war and the crossing of tariffs between the US and the rest of the nations.

Images | Flickr and Brenan Greene (UNSPLASH)

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