Sweet, Spice & Everything Nice
Chocolate makers in the country are redefining the market with innovative flavours, sustainable practices, and a focus on quality. This festive season, indulge in this craft chocolate movement.
From limited-edition luxury chocolate bars and vegan chocolates to those made with natural sweeteners and cocoa butter instead of vegetable oil, and in a variety of flavours, Indian chocolate makers are catering to a niche market that was valued at around USD 2.74 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach approximately USD 5.87 billion by 2030, according to reports. No wonder then that Bengaluru-based luxury chocolate brand Smoor has reportedly grown over 120 per cent since 2021 and is looking to achieve a scale of USD 100 million in annual revenue by 2026!
Pure Indian
Most of these homegrown brands focus on the purity of ingredients and take pride in their Indian origins, appealing to a young and urban audience. Founded in 2022 by chocolate-taster couple Prathina and Akhil Grandhi, Bon Fiction aims to create unique chocolates using natural ingredients cultivated sustainably and ethically. Based in Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh, the brand keeps the entire chocolatemaking process in-house. The brand states that the cacao used is handpicked from farms in the Godavari region, where it is sorted, fermented, dried, and stoneground using traditional processes. They focus on traditionally familiar taste combinations like mango and chilli, and rose and pistachio, infusing these into their chocolates to create taste profiles that global brands can’t replicate.
The brand Kocoatrait offers hyper-local flavours like Panakam Dark Chocolate under the Madras Collection, as well as Masala Chai Dark Chocolate and Sukku Coffee Dark Chocolate.
Manam, a brand founded by chocolate taster Chaitanya Muppala, is on a mission to create a uniquely Indian chocolate experience. Based in Tadikalapudi, Andhra Pradesh, Manam Chocolate has won honours at the 2023 Academy of Chocolate Awards in the UK. The brand celebrates Indian-origin cacao, crafted by Indians, blending familiar Indian tastes with global trends to offer a truly evolved chocolate experience. Not just the flavours, but each bar commemorates the farmer and the tree it comes from. Another popular brand, Paul and Mike, offers indigenous flavours like jamun, Balkan Rose, and masala chai. Mahabaleshwarbased Ziaho is a new entrant but is creating a stir with flavours that celebrate India’s diversity, offering options like Mahabaleshwar’s berries, coconut milk, mango chilli, and apple cinnamon. Ziaho, targeted at contemporary Indians looking for the finest tastes, states, “It is mapping India not just geographically, but gastronomically.” Founded by Nisha and Karan Tejani, Ziaho sources the beans from Tamil Nadu and Kerala and other ingredients from across India.
Healthy Bites
While the numbers spell success, the craft chocolate movement in India is still in its nascent stages and is primarily driven by small-batch “bean-to-bar” makers, mostly concentrated in Southern and Western India. Many of them focus on the purity of flavour, unique taste combinations, and the health factor of the product. A well-known Indian brand, Pascati, which brought India its first “Certified Organic” chocolates in 2020, sources cocoa beans from farmers’ collectives in Kerala’s Idukki and Malabar regions and adds nuts, seeds, and fruits to enhance the health quotient of their chocolates. Another established brand, Kocoatrait has an entire range of flavours under a section called Heart Health Research, while Andhra Pradeshbased brand Bon Fiction promotes its vegan bars.
Did you know?
Fermentation is the most crucial process that unravels the cacao bean’s secret world of unique flavours.
Sustainable Darks
Did you know that an average 40 g bar of milk chocolate has a carbon footprint of around 200 g, making it one of the food products with the highest carbon footprints! But chocolate produced locally can cut down on transportation and thus, reduce its carbon footprint. Indulge That’s the focus of Kocoatrait’s founders, chocolate tasters L. Nitin and Poonam Chordia. They say their product is the “world’s first sustainable luxury, zerowaste” chocolate. The brand sources cacao primarily from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, along with sustainable farms in Tanzania, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. The brand’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond the chocolate: their packaging is made from natural fibres processed with cocoa husk, often screen-printed by differently-abled individuals. It also runs short-term chocolate-making courses!
Manam operates as a collective of dedicated farmers, fermenters, and chocolate makers. Kerala-based Paul and Mike, recognised internationally, ranks among the “top 10 worldwide” for their Gin and Ginger Dark Chocolate bar. Launched by Vikas Temani in 2019, the brand follows a farm-to-bar model, sourcing beans from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The brand’s production unit is just one kilometre from their Kochi farm, ensuring a supply of fresh cacao.
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