Whether it’s inside the glass case at Kilwins or amid the colorful aisles of Target, there are plenty of spots to get a taste of Dubai chocolate in Evanston.
Since its creation in 2021, Dubai chocolate has seen a 300% increase in global sales. While some are just discovering it, others have been obsessed for months.
According to industry reports from Newsweek, Dubai chocolate products generated $22 million in the first three months of 2025, setting a revenue record at the Dubai airport Dubai Duty Free. From Walmart to Costco, major companies across the globe are now stocking up their shelves with a variety of brands from the chocolatier.
Former CFO of Califia Farms Sandeep Patel said he thinks the reason the Dubai chocolate trend has reached another phase is because of social media and an increase in market coverage.
“Regardless of how a food trend starts, the fuel to the fire is really distribution growth,” Patel said. “And how quickly distribution grows depends partly on how difficult the product is to make and keep safe when you have long supply chains and broad distribution.”
But Bob Piron, co-owner of Belgian Chocolatier Piron, Inc. in Evanston, said larger companies selling Dubai chocolate may hurt the trend. Now that those companies are mass producing Dubai chocolate, prices are dropping, he said, and many small manufacturers are choosing to not contribute.
“Because once the big guys get involved in it, they flood the market, and the customers come in and say, ‘Well, why do I pay so many dollars for your product when I go to Costco [and] get it cheaper?” Piron said. “I’m just avoiding this trend because honestly, I don’t think it’s gonna last that long.”
When 16-year-old Michela Samaha, who lives in Dubai, first learned of Dubai chocolate, she and her family laughed it off.
“What do you mean you’re putting kunafa with pistachio in a chocolate?” Samaha said.
Once the trend took off, Samaha said she began seeing tourists flood mall stands selling every variation of Dubai chocolate in her hometown.
Samaha said she thinks the Dubai chocolate trend contributes to the tourism that Dubai is known for, and that it makes people feel a little closer to the luxurious image of Dubai.
“You can’t recreate the tallest building in the world,” Samaha said, “but you can try to recreate the chocolate.”
Piron said while his shop did experiment with Dubai chocolate-inspired treats for their store, they decided not to sell any. He said he was unimpressed with the flavors of the Dubai chocolate bar and the cost of making it was a drawback.
“I would have to invest several thousand dollars in new molds in order to produce it [dubai chocolate],” Piron said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a trend that’s going to last all that long. I might be completely wrong, but that’s my opinion, so I am opting out.”
