Retailers are continuing to ride the Dubai-style chocolate wave, with Co-op and Waitrose this week adding sweet treats inspired by the viral trend.
Co-op has added limited-edition Dubai-style chocolate brownie, while Waitrose has added chocolate and pistachio tortes after seeing searches for “pistachio chocolate” soar by 320% on its site year on year.
Billed as the “first of its kind” from a major retailer, Co-op’s Irresistible Dubai Style Pistachio Brownie (rsp: £1.50/80g) features a “rich” Fairtrade chocolate brownie base, topped with a layer of crunchy pistachio and kadaif filling, and finished with a layer of smooth milk chocolate and pistachio nibs.
Available in 2,400 stores, the treat is included as a side in Co-op’s standard (£3.50 for members/£4 for non-members) and premium (£5.50 for members/£6 for non-members) lunchtime meal deal offers.
“We love to take inspiration from trends and incorporate them into our own product development and this delicious brownie is just that – innovation combined with a great tasting treat, delivering quality, convenience and value for shoppers,” said Co-op senior product development manager for trends, Emily Haworth.
“Everyone that’s tried it has loved it, so I can’t wait to see the response from our shoppers,” Haworth added.
@waitrose Something TASTY is landing this Wednesday 👀 Can you guess what? Stayed tuned ✨ #newproduct #comingsoon #holdingspace #fyp #waitrose ♬ Minimal for news / news suspense(1169746) - Hiraoka Kotaro
Meanwhile, Waitrose’s No.1 Chocolate & Pistachio Crunch Tortes (rsp: £5/two) feature pistachio and white chocolate mousse on a crunchy base of milk chocolate feuilletine with a pinch of salt, finished with dark chocolate ganache and pistachios.
It teased the launch by posting a cryptic video featuring a blurred image of the treats to its TikTok and Instagram accounts yesterday.
The desserts have hit 200 stores today (20 August), with more to follow in September.
Nuts about pistachio
M&S has gone big on the pistachio trend, unveiling a trio of treats containing the nut last month: Pistachio & Shortbread Crunchy Clouds 140g, Choc Marks Blonde Chocolate & Pistachio bar 180g and Pistachio & Caramel bar 36g.
It has installed dedicated “nuts about pistachio” free-standing display units featuring these products – along with Collection Pistachio Crème 220g and The Big Daddy Pistachio 280g, which launched earlier this year – in its food stores.
Suppliers have also been busy innovating to cash in on the trend. Fox’s last month launched Chocolatey Dubai Style Pistachio Biscuits (rsp: £2.65/130g) into Tesco, while The Drinks Bureau launched a limited-edition 8% abv Dubai Chocolate Style Espresso Martini (rsp: £2.50/200ml) into Morrisons.
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