24 October 2026
FIX Dessert Chocolatier, the Dubai brand behind the viral pistachio and kunafa bar known worldwide as Dubai chocolate, has won the Dubai-it Award for Projects in the Business category. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced the result on Saturday, 24 October 2026. According to the Crown Prince, sales of Dubai-style chocolate grew by 1,234% in one year, and these products are now sold in markets around the world and at more than 100 airports. At Dubai Duty Free alone, Dubai chocolates brought in AED 165 million in the first half of 2025: about 2.5 million bars of UAE-based brands, or 40% of all confectionery sales.
What was announced on 24 October
Sheikh Hamdan named FIX Dessert Chocolatier the winner of the Dubai-it Award for Projects in the Business category and congratulated the company team. He summed up the brand’s path in one line: “this is the spirit of Dubai-it: transforming a simple home-based business into a global success.”
The brand was founded by Sarah Hamouda and Yezen Alani and started as a home-based business in Dubai. Its pistachio kunafa chocolate bar spread through social media and turned the phrase Dubai chocolate into a product category of its own. Several brands in the UAE and abroad have since released their own versions, while FIX has kept building its identity around the original bar. The company has also worked with Sheikh Hamdan on an exclusive flavour based on halawt, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert, and has added new products such as the tropical Time to Mango bar.
The numbers behind the award
Two groups of figures were cited around the award. The first comes from Sheikh Hamdan’s announcement on 24 October 2026. The second was shared by Ramesh Cidambi, CEO of Dubai Duty Free, on Dubai Eye and covers the first half of 2025.
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Growth in sales of Dubai-style chocolate in one year | 1,234% |
| Airports where these products are sold | more than 100 |
| Dubai chocolate sales at Dubai Duty Free, H1 2025 | AED 165 million |
| Bars of UAE-based chocolates sold there, H1 2025 | about 2.5 million |
| Share of all confectionery sales at Dubai Duty Free | 40% |
The 1,234% figure refers to Dubai-style chocolate as a category, as stated by the Crown Prince. FIX has not published its own revenue, and the announcement does not break the growth down by brand. The Dubai Duty Free figures also cover several UAE-based brands: besides FIX, Khaleej Times listed L’ocali, Bateel, Al Nassma, Samha and I Love Dubai among the main names. Cidambi noted that because these brands are based in the UAE, the revenue they generate flows back into the local economy.
How the Dubai-it Award works
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai-it initiative on 17 June 2026. Its idea is that ambition has little value without execution and that speed has to go together with quality. On 24 June 2026, Sheikh Hamdan directed the launch of the Dubai-it Award, an annual prize for individuals, projects, companies and institutions that turn bold ideas into results delivered with excellence and in record time.
The main rules of the award, as announced in June and August 2026:
- Three main categories: individual, project, and institution or company. Named awards include a company that achieved exceptional transformation and an entrepreneur who turned an idea into exceptional success.
- Ten fields in future editions: government, real estate, economy, business, technology, health, sports, education, society and services.
- Nominations for the first edition ran from 10 August to 10 September 2026 on dubai-it.ae, with sign-in by email and a one-time code.
- Individuals, institutions and companies can nominate themselves or others, and they must specify the category of the achievement.
- Future editions run from September to May, while June, July and August are reserved for receiving and evaluating nominations for the following edition.
- Besides nominations, the award team monitors notable achievements throughout the year.
An application has to describe the achievement, the challenge or opportunity behind it, the steps taken, the results and the impact on people, the city, the sector or the economy. It must be backed by evidence: performance indicators, figures, reports, photographs, media coverage or testimonials. The evaluation can include meetings or interviews with nominees. Winners are judged on eight criteria: the exceptional nature of the achievement, quality of execution, speed and efficiency, embracing Dubai’s philosophy of action, turning vision into tangible results, exceptional impact, sustainability and potential for development, and the clarity of the model and its inspirational role.
What the FIX case shows for founders in Dubai
The award recognises a consumer brand that grew out of a home kitchen, not a large industrial group. Its path includes steps that every small producer in Dubai goes through sooner or later: a licensed legal entity, sales through retail and travel retail, payments from partners in other countries and protection of the brand as copies appear in other markets.
A practical checklist for founders who plan a similar route:
- Choose a licence that matches the activity. Home-based trading, food production and retail are different activities, and the choice between mainland and a free zone affects where and how you can sell.
- Plan the move from a home-based start to a full company before volumes grow, so that contracts with retailers and distributors are signed by a licensed entity.
- Open a corporate bank account early: payments from distributors and online sales abroad go through the business account.
- Register the trademark in the UAE and in key export markets before the product spreads, since Dubai chocolate has been widely copied.
- Keep records of growth from the first day. The Dubai-it Award asks for performance indicators, figures and media coverage as evidence, and the same data is needed by banks and investors.
How Atlant Capital can help
We help founders move from an idea or a home-based start to a licensed company in the UAE: we choose the activity and licence, compare mainland and free zone options and prepare the documents through our company setup service. After registration we support corporate bank account opening, so that the business can receive payments from retailers and distributors. The full sequence of steps, costs and documents is described in our guide to company formation in the UAE.
Conclusion
FIX Dessert Chocolatier is one of the winners of the first edition of the Dubai-it Award, a prize that Dubai launched in June 2026 to reward results delivered in record time. The figures cited around it are specific: 1,234% growth in sales of Dubai-style chocolate in one year, presence at more than 100 airports and AED 165 million in Dubai chocolate sales at Dubai Duty Free in the first half of 2025. Future editions will collect nominations in June, July and August, and companies can nominate themselves.
Source: Khaleej Times, Khaleej Times, Dubai-it Award nominations.
FAQ
Who won the Dubai-it Award in the business category?
FIX Dessert Chocolatier, the Dubai brand behind the viral pistachio kunafa bar known as Dubai chocolate, won the Dubai-it Award for Projects in the Business category. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced it on 24 October 2026. The brand was founded by Sarah Hamouda and Yezen Alani as a home-based business in Dubai.
How much have Dubai chocolate sales grown?
According to Sheikh Hamdan, sales of Dubai-style chocolate grew by 1,234% in one year, and these products are sold at more than 100 airports worldwide. In the first half of 2025, Dubai Duty Free sold AED 165 million worth of Dubai chocolates, about 2.5 million bars of UAE-based brands, which made up 40% of its confectionery sales.
What is the Dubai-it Award and who can be nominated?
The Dubai-it Award is an annual Dubai prize launched by Sheikh Hamdan on 24 June 2026 for individuals, projects, companies and institutions that deliver exceptional results in record time. It has three main categories: individual, project, and institution or company. Individuals and companies can nominate themselves or others on dubai-it.ae, and winners are judged on eight criteria, including speed, quality of execution and impact.
When can companies apply for the next Dubai-it Award?
Nominations for the first edition ran from 10 August to 10 September 2026. Future editions of the award run from September to May, while June, July and August are reserved for receiving and evaluating nominations for the following edition. Exact dates for the next round had not been published as of 24 October 2026.
