Encounter the female inventor of Dubai's popular, extra-thick chocolate bar.
Unconventionally packed with odd fillings like filo pastry, vanilla custard, or tea and biscuits, these thick chocolate bars originate from the Fix Dessert Chocolate Company.
Sarah Hamouda, the founder of Fix, states, "We put a considerable amount of time, effort, and love into our bars, aiming to create more than just a regular chocolate experience."
The 38-year-old, who has lived in Dubai for nine years, established the brand in 2021 as a side project. Motivated by her pregnancy cravings, the British Egyptian entrepreneur aimed to create something greater than the "typical" chocolate bar.
The popularity of the brand has skyrocketed: a viral ASMR video by food influencer Maria Vehera, in which she devours a bar in her car, has been viewed over 56 million times to date, and numerous people have subsequently recorded their reactions to the bars or crafted recipes to recreate them at home.
Hamouda describes the buzz surrounding the brand as "incredible," noting that Fix's daily orders went from single digits to 500.
"Truthfully, at no point did I think this would go global," says Hamouda, adding that she's received messages and video responses from individuals in Canada to Argentina to Romania. "It's mind-blowing what's been happening."
Overflowing with flavor
Being handmade, including the colorful designs on each bar, means there's a limit to the volume the team can produce.
"For me, maintaining the quality and the ingredients of our products is crucial," she explains, noting that the secret to her bars is the unique mold she uses to shape the chocolate and pack in the filling.
The appeal of Fix's bars comes from their creative names, which her husband comes up with, and the unique Middle Eastern flavors, such as dates, karak (a spiced tea blend), and knafeh, a traditional Arabic dessert made with shredded pastry, pistachios, sweet soft cheese, and syrup.
Dubai's multicultural population inspired some of the flavors, like "Mind your own Buiscoff," a white chocolate bar filled with crunchy Lotus cheesecake spread, or "Cereously Chewsy," a milk chocolate slab stuffed with Nutella fudge brownies, custard, and cereal.
Fix Dessert Chocolatiers handcrafts every bar. ## A tremendous demand
At the moment, FIX — which stands for "freaking incredible experience" — is only available in Dubai. With the brand gaining international attention, this has become a significant problem.
"Managing the demand has most definitely been a challenge," Hamouda states.
Since the video entered the trending zone in February of this year, the company has expanded, growing from just Hamouda and her husband working from their home to a team of 10 in a rented kitchen.
The 200-gram chocolate bars, which retail for $20 each, are exclusively available through food delivery service Deliveroo, with sales starting at 5pm daily and limited to 500 orders per day, which usually sell out within minutes.
While this might be a desirable problem, Hamouda notes that there have been complaints online about the scarcity of the bars and accusations that the hype is a marketing ploy.
The shortage has led to numerous chocolate bars imitating "Dubai's viral chocolate" appearing on online retail platforms, and amateur chefs experimenting with the flavors themselves. Although some may worry about the competition, Hamouda finds it flattering. "We receive messages from people saying, 'thank you for inspiring us to be creative at home,' so that's something that I'm proud of," she says.
The public's eagerness to taste the unusual flavors and textures has spawned a "chocolate black market," with bars showing up in South Africa at exorbitant prices.
Hamouda is astonished by the response and hints that Fix will soon be expanding to international markets. "We have a lot in the works," she says. "Every trend has its moment. But I think we have so much more to offer, and I believe this is just the beginning for us."
Read also:
After tasting the unique Middle Eastern flavors in Sarah Hamouda's chocolate bars, food influencer Maria Vehera shared a viral video, leading to a global demand for Fix Dessert Chocolatiers' products.
To satisfy this growing interest, Sarah and her team have expanded from their home kitchen to a larger rental space, ensuring they can maintain the high quality of their foodanddrink offerings.
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