From Pumpkin To Honey, Sharjah's New Chocolate Brand Is Built On Local Ingredients

Sharjah unveiled its new luxury chocolate brand Qand on April 20, 2026 during the fourth wheat harvest ceremony at the wheat farm in Mleiha as the UAE continues to see growing interest in locally inspired chocolate offerings.

Qand will specialise in luxury candies and chocolates made using organic ingredients from Ektifa, Sharjah Agriculture and Livestock Production, positioning the brand as part of a wider push to turn the emirate's agricultural output into high-end consumer goods with international appeal.

Based on information shared with Khaleej Times, Ektifa is seeking to establish a new form of soft power for the emirate by investing in the sensory heritage of chocolate and sweets as a universal language of cultural communication.

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Ektifa now has access to what were described as premium organic raw materials including dates, fruits, honey and milk, among other base ingredients.

Proposed flavours

In an effort to turn these local resources into a globally appealing product, it collaborated with a longstanding specialised French institute to develop two initial varieties of innovative healthy chocolate. Those first products were said to have received strong praise from early recipients for balancing premium taste with high health standards.

Examples of the proposed flavours reflect that approach. One variety features pumpkin chocolate bites with almond flakes, prepared using rich Mleiha milk and filled with a caramel blend of dates and pumpkin, enhanced with sliced almonds and local touches of cardamom and saffron, then coated in premium Belgian chocolate.

Another combines Al Faya honeycomb with sea salt, pairing a crisp luxury honeycomb centre carrying golden caramelised notes with fine Belgian dark chocolate and a measured touch of sea salt.

What does Qand mean?

Choosing the name Qand carries a specific significance. Qand is an old word associated with crystallised sugar and is among the Arabicised terms recorded in classical dictionaries. Its older root is believed to trace back to Sanskrit before passing into Persian as qand, meaning cut or crystallised sugar, and later settling into Arabic usage with nearly the same pronunciation and meaning.

Over time, the word travelled beyond the region through trade and cultural exchange, eventually appearing in European languages and later in English as candy. That gives the Sharjah brand a name that is not only linked directly to sweetness, but also carries a long linguistic and commercial history.

The launch was being presented not just as a commercial venture, but also as a cultural project aimed at conveying Sharjah's identity to global audiences through food.

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