Scanning the candy bars at the checkout line at the grocery store or the case at your favorite sweet shop may evoke nostalgia with classic confections. But chocolate, like everything else, can be trendy.
Chocolate makers and retailers in Southwestern Pennsylvania have seen a balance between what Confectionery News calls “chocstalgia” — a desire to enjoy the same delicious treats that existed in “the good old days” — and innovations in how chocolate is made, flavored and even harvested.
“The business has changed slightly over the years as the chocolate industry has changed,” said Amy Rosenfield, owner of Mon Aimee Chocolat in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
But it’s not just the industry that’s influenced trends in chocolate over the past several years, said Meira Gumerman, owner of The Chocolate Moose in Squirrel Hill.
“Social media trends sell well, but die out fast,” she said.
Chocolate makers and sellers also mentioned that economic factors, including tariffs, have influenced the business over the past few years, causing both candy creators and customers with a sweet tooth to seek out affordable luxury — a practice that has proved a booming success in the short term.
Locally, retailers are excited to ride the waves of what’s cool in the world of cocoa, but the classics remain in constant demand.
Here are a few of the biggest trends in chocolate to scope out at your favorite confectionery:
Dubai chocolate
It’s the trend on everyone’s lips, and there’s a good reason for it — retailers all say that it’s delicious.
Kelly’s Sweets & Greets in Downtown Pittsburgh definitely has sold its share of the high-quality version of the red-hot chocolate.
“We ended up getting some really authentic Dubai chocolate that was actually imported from Dubai,” said Kelly Andresen, owner of Kelly’s Sweets & Greets, located in the One Oxford Centre building. “It’s super good, but it’s like $25 a bar, which is a lot. But for a one-time treat or something special, I think it’s not too bad.”
Dubai chocolate is made with kadayif, flakes of phyllo pastry that gives the bars a crunchy texture. It’s also filled with a pistachio cream that enhances the textural contrast.
“It’s creamy and crunchy and it kind of oozes in that manner,” Rosenfield said.
At Mon Aimee, they sell different options for the viral treat, including SNA’AP, the brand created by the chocolate’s creator.
“Chef Nouel Catis, who lives in Dubai but is Filipino, created the original recipe that went viral on TikTok,” Rosenfield said.
Kelly’s Sweets & Greets carries a few kinds of Dubai chocolate, including some that also contain tahini (a seed butter made from soaked and crushed sesame seeds).
“It gives it a bit of a savory flavor,”Andresen said.
But Gumerman and Andresen both said this trend is likely following the same trajectory as other similar products hyped up by social media — a high peak and a steady fall.
“They have every single brand in every shape and size and color making some kind of Dubai chocolate now,” Andresen said. “There’s so many low-quality ones out there. People will try the cheap ones and then not realize how good the good ones are.”
Gumerman said that freeze-dried candy saw a similar peak the year before last, thanks to its popularity on the internet. But it turned out to be a passing fad.
At Mon Aimee, Dubai chocolate still is selling pretty well.
“Certain weeks lately we sell a lot, especially if there’s a lot of tourists in town or something like Easter goes on,” Rosenfield said. “But then, once they’ve had it, some people come back and buy more of SNA’AP because it is delicious.”
Salty and sweet
While some trends come and go, some last a lifetime — and longer. Kelly’s Sweets & Greets started out as St. Moritz Chocolatier back in the 1980s, though Andresen integrated the brand into a new shop that sells both candy and greeting cards. Nostalgia for the original chocolatier remains.
“People tell me stories all the time of how they used to line up outside the windows to get the chocolate-covered popcorn that they would make every Friday,” Andresen said.
From popcorn to pretzels to potato chips, the store consistently sells plenty of salty snacks enrobed in chocolate.
“Salt is always popular,” Rosenfield said, emphasizing its use to enhance other flavors in candy bars and, of course, paired with caramel.
These contrasting flavors are evergreen, Andresen said.
“What they lack in height they make up for with width,” she said. “They never had that craze, but people will come back for them every week.”
Chocolate that makes you feel good
In both mind and body, customers are looking for sweets that make them feel sweet themselves. Rosenfield is seeing this trend especially when it comes to better trade practices, a movement of which Mon Aimee is happy to be a part.
“We are mostly a lot of bean-to-bar chocolate,” she said.
That means that they work with small-batch producers who are choosy about their cocoa and are careful with every step of the process, from roasting to processing to creating the end product.
She also emphasized the importance of sustainable farming practices and knowing exactly where the beans are coming from.
“They know the farmer or the person they’re getting the beans from, that’s important to us. If we don’t protect cacao, we won’t have it in 2050,” Rosenfield said.
More and more brands are jumping on the fair-trade chocolate bandwagon. National brands, including Tony’s Chocolonely and H’s Kitchen, make it a hallmark of the bars and bites that you can find in shops all over the country. Mon Aimee said that it’s possible to do even better.
“Fair trade is a good model, and people should ask for that in the grocery store and such, but if you’re in a small specialty shop, direct trade pays higher than fair trade,” Rosenfield said.
“You’ll also hear lingo sometimes like ‘equitrade,’ but mostly it’s direct trade.”
According to Fair Trade USA, “fair trade” requires that companies offer fair and adequate pay to farmers in other parts of the world who harvest products including cocoa and coffee, while “direct trade” connects the farmers and buyers directly.
There is also a trend in healthier chocolate, following general wellness trends that have become popular online.
Many contain what are called “adaptogens” — plants, mushrooms and other natural substances that reportedly have health benefits which help the body deal with balance, stress, anxiety and other issues.
Adding natural ingredients to sweets to support health claims has become popular of late.
Whether it’s ethically sourced or packed with healthy ingredients, trendy or classic, chocolate from local makers and retailers will always taste great — and make you feel good.