Middle East demand boosts UK chocolate exports Other big markets for UK chocolate include Ireland, France and Holland. Louis Barnett of British firm Chokolit said: "There are a lot of countries where the middle class is increasing and they want to start spending on luxury food and drink products. It's showing a trend that the world is getting a sweeter palate and because of the introduction to world brands countries that wouldn't have consumed sugar now do. Chokolit exports 80pc of its produce to more than 15 countries. The 20 year-old chocolatier said: "Europe and especially Britain have certainly managed to keep this quality perception. A lot of the countries we deal with see Europe as a quality market - they would rather buy chocolate from a country three thousand miles away than down the road, because of that trust. The UK exported a total of £6bn food and non-alcoholic drink in the first half of the year, with strong growth to non-EU countries of 7.2pc contrasting sharply with a mere 0.7pc rise in exports to the EU, as the debt crisis curbed growth.