Dubai Chocolate and Location-based Branding

Philadelphia has cheesesteaks.

Buffalo has wings. There’s Kobe beef, Neapolitan pizza, and Nashville hot chicken.

Each one is more than a dish — it’s shorthand for identity, culture and local pride.

And now: Dubai has chocolate.

It started as a pregnancy craving: A bar filled with pistachio cream and crisp knafeh pastry, created in 2022 by FIX Dessert Chocolatier. Then in 2023, one TikTok video launched it into global fame. Over 125 million views later, “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” became known simply as Dubai chocolate.

What made the name stick wasn’t just geography. It was the aesthetic: exclusive, decadent, exotic. “Dubai” came to represent not only the origins of the treat, but the kind of experience it offered.

When a city’s reputation becomes part of the product, it adds built-in value.

Sharing Your Location

Even when people don’t have a personal connection to a city, they may still have a perception of it. That perception carries weight and adds meaning.

Here in Philly, we know that part of the cheesesteak’s enduring popularity isn’t just the sandwich itself — it’s the storytelling around it. Where you got it. How long you waited in line. What toppings you chose. Did the grill guys razz you about your order? And did you get it all on camera?

Place isn’t just a backdrop. It can be a branding asset. (Just ask Philadelphia Cream Cheese.)

Cities and regions often come with built-in brand identities. Whether you’re naming a product, planning a collab, or designing packaging, think about how a place can set a scene and anchor a feeling.