Trabzon Chocolate Challenges Dubai Chocolate

One of Trabzon’s successful businesswomen, Seyyare Sungur, founder of the Fındıkocağı brand and a member of our exchange, along with her sisters, has created Trabzon Chocolate as a competitor to the highly popular Dubai Chocolate, which has recently become one of the most consumed treats.

The Sungur sisters, Seyyare, Sinem, Demet, and Kübra, hail from a family that has been involved in hazelnut trade and production for three generations. Nine years ago, they launched the Fındıkocağı brand with a mission to enhance the value of hazelnuts.

From Dubai to Trabzon...

The Sungur sisters, who have expanded their products beyond Turkey's borders, have now taken on the challenge of producing Trabzon Chocolate to rival the trend-setting Dubai Chocolate. They have already filed a patent application for their creation and are struggling to keep up with demand, including orders from Dubai itself.

In their entirely women-led production center, the sisters have developed Trabzon Chocolate, featuring hazelnut paste, as a response to the craze for Dubai Chocolate, which typically combines pistachios, shredded kadayıf, and chocolate.

“We Can’t Keep Up With Demand”

Seyyare Sungur, General Manager of Fındıkocağı, emphasized the immense demand for Dubai Chocolate and stated that they are struggling to meet the requests for their own production, even receiving orders from abroad. She said:
“The combination of pistachios and kadayıf, products entirely from Turkey, has gone viral worldwide under the name Dubai Chocolate. Initially, we wanted to try this using our region’s signature product, hazelnuts, instead of pistachios. This trend is purely a result of popular culture.”

Sungur also noted that they have applied for a patent for Trabzon Chocolate and commented:
“Many people asked, ‘Why Dubai Chocolate?’ Kadayıf is ours, pistachios grow in our country, yet it’s called Dubai Chocolate. As hazelnut producers, we immediately realized it could also be made with hazelnuts. At first, it wasn’t recognized as different due to packaging, and many thought it was just another Dubai Chocolate. Later, we branded it as Trabzon Chocolate, a name chosen by the women who handcrafted it. The product is entirely ours. As a nation, we know hazelnuts go best with chocolate—we’ve grown up with this combination.”

“We Will Make Trabzon Chocolate Famous”

Highlighting that Dubai Chocolate was also popularized by a woman, Sungur expressed her pride in the opportunity to make Trabzon Chocolate famous as a female entrepreneur. She said:
“There’s huge demand for Trabzon Chocolate, and we’re working tirelessly. The name Trabzon adds a unique appeal because Trabzon is already a well-known brand. Our distinct feature is the hazelnut, the jewel of our region. We use the best hazelnuts sourced from our producers to create this chocolate. Why not have Trabzon Chocolate rival Dubai Chocolate? It’s a fully local brand and production, and we’re thrilled and proud to have made this happen.”

Finally, Sungur revealed that they’ve even received orders for Trabzon Chocolate from Dubai. She stated:
“Our goal is to introduce our hazelnuts to the world, market them with added value, and establish a strong brand. As a company, we already sell our products in Dubai, and now we’ve received chocolate orders as well. We hope to make Trabzon Chocolate a staple in Dubai too.”