Who saw the trend coming? Nobody did. And that is kind of the point.
I was in a client session last week when someone mentioned they had spotted pistachio croissants at three different cafes in the same neighborhood. Three. In one morning. We laughed. And then we got curious.
The Dubai chocolate-and-pistachio wave exploded from a single viral video in 2023 and somehow never stopped. It has since colonized hotel patisseries, artisanal chocolate bars, and ice cream menus globally. Even cookware, clothing, and furniture come in the latest new shade, yes, you guessed it, pistachio.
Here is what I found delightful about tracing it back: a modest group of California pistachio farmers, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley, had been steadily increasing production for years. Not because they predicted virality. Because they believed in what they were growing. And now they are ahead of the game.
The fad arrived and found them ready.
I think about this with my clients a lot. We are all trying to predict the future, identify trends, and position ourselves ahead of them. Rarely works. What does work is building genuine depth, the product, the culture, the capability, in something worth believing in.
The farmers did not need to find the trend. The trend found the farmers.
Kind of reassuring, honestly. Tend your trees. Be extraordinary at your thing. The parade has a habit of eventually coming down your road.
Even if that road is lined with pistachio orchards.
