The virality began with beauty and lifestyle influencers filming “What I Ordered vs. What I Got” videos, and snowballed into a full-fledged TikTok moment:

• #DubaiChocolateBar has now surpassed 18 million views
• The bars consistently rank among TikTok UK’s Top 10 food products
• Repeat orders are skyrocketing — and new flavors are in the pipeline

Candy Industry Senior Editor Liz Parker Kuhn was able to talk to brand co-founder Saif Al Jaber about the company's success and the product going viral.

Liz Parker Kuhn: Can you talk a bit about Le Damas Sweets and how it got its start?

Saif Al Jaber: Le Damas Sweets officially began in Dubai in 2014, but the inspiration goes back more than fifty years, spanning three generations of confectionery artisans. Our founders wanted to capture the essence of Middle Eastern hospitality and culinary tradition while also elevating it for a new global audience. From the start, the goal was to merge classic recipes—like kunafa dough roasted with nutty ghee and phyllo pastries—with premium, modern chocolate-making. This combination of heritage and innovation has shaped Le Damas into a boutique brand known for uncompromising quality and distinctive flavors.

LPK: To what does the company attribute its success?

SAJ: We attribute the success of the Dubai Chocolate Bar to two main factors. First, we are meticulous about sourcing the highest-quality raw ingredients: real premium chocolate, velvety pistachio cream, and our signature kunafa vermicelli that gives the bar its unique texture. Second, the packaging design plays an important role—it’s vibrant, fun, and engineered to stand out on social media feeds, which has made it extremely shareable. The fact that so many customers organically showcased it in unboxing and taste-test videos helped create authentic buzz and propel sales on TikTok Shop.

LPK: How long did it take the company to come out with the product? Did it do any consumer taste testing beforehand?

SAJ: The Dubai Chocolate Bar was developed quite rapidly because we wanted to capture the emerging demand for Middle Eastern-inspired confections. From concept to launch, it took approximately six months. During that time, we focused on refining the balance of flavors to ensure the bar felt indulgent, but not overly sweet. While we didn’t conduct formal focus groups, our team held multiple internal tastings and informal sampling sessions with loyal customers to fine-tune the recipe and texture before the first production run.

LPK: How did the company connect with beauty and lifestyle influencers to promote the product?

SAJ: Interestingly, most of the initial influencer momentum happened organically. Many beauty and lifestyle creators discovered the bar on their own and purchased it independently to feature in “What I Ordered vs. What I Got” videos. After we saw this traction, we reached out to a few of them to build relationships and provide additional samples for content. We’ve found that genuine enthusiasm drives far better results than paid placements alone, so this organic adoption was both surprising and rewarding.

LPK: What new flavors is the company currently working on? Anything else in the pipeline for late 2025 or early 2026?

SAJ: We are always exploring new ideas that fuse tradition with innovation. At the moment, we’re working on a line of health-conscious products that maintain our signature taste while using less sugar and more nutrient-dense ingredients. As an exclusive preview for you, we’re preparing to launch our Kyoto to Dubai Chocolate Bar later this year—a unique combination of fine matcha tea infused into chocolate, layered with pistachio cream and kunafa vermicelli. We believe this flavor will appeal to both longtime fans and adventurous newcomers.

Related: Lindt introduces Dubai Style Chocolate bars