The Chocolate Box Made of Strangers' Words

Back in May, FIX Dessert Chocolatier set up at Kite Beach and asked people a simple question: how do you feel about Dubai? Over two days, more than 6,500 people stopped to write something down. We covered it at the time; now, those messages have found a second life.

Those messages have now become part of FIX's new From Dubai, With Love Hero Box. One hundred of them have been printed across the box in six languages, turning something that began as a public conversation into something people can take home. It's the latest move from the brand behind The Original Dubai Chocolate — the Can't Get Knafeh Of It bar that started the whole viral Dubai chocolate craze.

"FIX was born in Dubai, and this community has been part of our story from the very beginning," says co-founder Sarah Hamouda, who started the brand in 2021 with Yezen Alani. "When thousands of people shared their words with us at Kite Beach, we knew we wanted to do something special with them. This box is our love letter back to Dubai and the community. Wherever these words go next, we hope they take a little piece of Dubai with them."

The messages themselves are the best part. Here are a few that made it onto the box:

"Be grateful for the small things, big things, and everything in between."

"May the kindness you give come back to you."

"Vive la vida y no dejes que la vida te viva." — Live life, and don't let life live you.

What stands out is what people chose to write. For a city so often described through its tallest buildings, biggest ambitions and fastest growth, the messages were surprisingly simple. It was about kindness. "Small acts, big impact." "Be humble, believe in yourself, and have the care of the world in your heart." One message, in Arabic, just said: through thick and thin, we're together. Another, in Spanish, told whoever read it to actually go and live. In a city made up of people from all over the world, that became the common thread: look after each other. Six languages, thousands of contributors and countless different stories later, the messages still seemed to arrive at the same place.

The From Dubai, With Love Hero Box lets you choose six flavours from FIX's line-up, including Can't Get Knafeh Of It, Pick Up A Pretzel, Mind Your Own Biscuit and Jam Or Go Nuts. It's priced at AED 395.25 and is available exclusively through Careem in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 

It's a good gift, obviously. But it's an unusual one too. Most boxes of chocolate don't come covered in the handwriting of a hundred strangers who happen to love the same city you do. And if you were at Kite Beach in May, there's another reason to look twice: your message might be on there.