Three local makers of Dubai's trending chocolate brand, 'Kataifi', aim to satisfy people's curiosity
By the time you read this, you've probably already heard about Dubai's “buzzworthy chocolate” and seen the TikTok video of someone breaking open a chocolate to reveal a rich pistachio cream filled with tiny noodle-like particles.
Influencers rave about its satisfyingly crunchy texture and sweet flavor that's not overly sweet. The original chocolate bar, sold by Dubai-based Fix Dessert Chocolatier, garnered global attention and demand. Sold for around 1,250 pesos each, people all over the world wanted to get a bite of the famous chocolate bar.
The original recipe combines pistachio cream and tahini in strings of phyllo dough called kataifi, which is then coated in high-quality chocolate that gives the bar a delightful crunch when it's broken in half. Similar in taste and texture to shredded wheat cereal, kataifi adds a crunch to the texture and offsets the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Here in the Philippines, three brands want to deliver local experiences without having to hop on a plane.
Bueno Burks
Tsarina Waga, owner of Bueno Barks, has been baking and selling chocolate barks, truffles, and more since 2019. She operates from her kitchen, with hundreds of Kataifi chocolate bars lined up on her dining table, waiting for delivery people to pick up orders. “This just started taking off last April or May. I was just browsing and kept seeing people popping the chocolates, and I was already intrigued.”
The beautiful shapes of Buenobacs products set them apart. Buenobacs Biscoff flavour is filled with kataifi pastry that balances the sweetness.
It was only when one of her customers asked her if she made the bars that she realised there might actually be a big demand for them in the Philippines. “A lot of people are feeling FOMO so why not satisfy their curiosity? So I decided to make them myself. It took me weeks of research and development to develop my bars. I also tried to make my own pistachio cream and kataifi was difficult to get but I managed to make it,” Waga says.
Colorful designs take Buenobacs to a level above the rest
Bueno Burks sells pistachio and Biscoff (both with kataifi) in three types of chocolate: milk, white and dark. Her bars are a little thicker and more hearty than the original. Prices start at P675 per bar (a fraction of the price of the original sold in Dubai). She takes pre-orders every Friday at 6pm for orders for the coming weekend. “We need to control the number of orders. A lot of people get upset that they can't get a slot, but we need them to understand that this is a homemade chocolate bar. It's a small business,” Waga explains.
Tsarina Wagga of Bueno Barcs works from her kitchen at home.
Zuri Cravings
Another katai fiber supplier, Raziela Panganiban of Zuri Cravings, said she only started selling katai fiber in July but is already seeing demand for 200 to 300 pieces a day. “I never expected to sell so much. At first, I did it all by myself, but now I hire part-time students to help me.”
Zuri Cravings comes in two flavors: Pistachio Kataifi and Biscoff Cream Cheese. A closer look at the Zuri Cravings bar: Biscoff does not contain the Kataifi dough.
Panganiban has no prior experience in the food and beverage industry, but he is familiar with online sales, especially selling shoes and bags full-time. This experience may have sharpened his eye for what sells and what people want to buy. “I love cooking and making desserts. I saw Dubai chocolate on TikTok and I was curious to see what it tasted like, so I tried making it myself. Everyone said it was delicious and encouraged me to sell it, so I did. I never expected it to become such a big hit.”
Laziela Panganiban from Zuri Cravings
Panganiban sells two flavors: Pistachio with Kataifi and Biscoff with Cream Cheese. They also sell these flavors in small sizes, priced at P299, and the large size (twice the small size) for P799. However, the Biscoff variant does not have Kataifi in it and is a bit too sweet.
Breaking Bar
Breaking Bar's version is thinner than the original and has a higher chocolate to filling ratio.
Julia Brillantes, 18, a recent university graduate, had a similar experience: “It all started in the summer, in June. I was going out every day. I thought, 'I can't go out every day. I need to find a way to make money.' So I was scrolling through TikTok for ideas and I saw this chocolate that was all the rage in Dubai. I thought, I'll make it and I could sell it here.”
Brillantes started Breaking Bars, a name inspired by the hit TV show Breaking Bad, and sells her own version of knafeh pistachio, an Arabic dessert made with pistachios and kataifi. Her bars are noticeably thinner than regular ones, meaning they have a higher chocolate-to-filling ratio.
Julia Brilliantes invades Knafeh Pistachio Bar
“Our Knafeh Pistachio Chocolate Bars are designed a little differently to traditional chocolate bars like Fix. Instead of stuffing the entire bar with a hard, thick filling, our chocolates feature individual square pockets, each filled with creamy, crunchy pistachio knafeh. ” The square shape also makes it easy to portion and share the bars.
“My second pre-order was the first time I got a bad review,” Brillantes recalled. “Someone posted it on TikTok and it got like half a million views. I was really devastated. I decided to take it in stride and make a comeback with chocolate. So I had to upgrade the quality of the chocolate and make it really crispy inside.” Breaking Bar sells its bars for 499 pesos.
Timing is key to jumping on a trend. For entrepreneurs, timing is second only to courage. You need to be bold and take risks to test the market. No one knows how long this trend will last, but three local makers of Dubai's trending chocolate bar are determined to strike while the iron is hot.
Many thanks to Sentro Artista
