“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ― Charles M. Schulz
The indie-chocolate revolution is slowly taking over our country and we are not complaining! While we have been served chocolates from international brands for years, local Indian chocolate makers are pushing boundaries and how! These bean-to-bar chocolate aficionados are slowly creating a niche for themselves. It is World Chocolate Day on July 7th, and we are turning the spotlight on some home-grown artisanal chocolate brands that have us craving more…
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Owned by Mumbai-based chef and chocolatier Sanjoy Solomon, Bean Therapy offers the perfect palate to showcase our national flavours. Solomon uses Belgian Callebaut chocolate to integrate ingredients from around the country—from fiery Teja chillies from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh to the mild and nutty green tea flavours from Kashmiri Kahwa. A man who is passionate about sourcing only the finest ingredients inspired by Indian cuisine, he aims to make the finest luxury chocolates one can have.
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Birthed from the township of Auroville in Tamil Nadu, the French heritage of the husband-wife duo—Fabien and Jane Mason shines through the chocolates they make. 100% vegan and organic, Mason & Co employs an all-female team of local village women who are trained in the art of chocolate making. With the chocolate beans being sourced straight from the farms in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, these single-origin chocolates are as artisanal as they can get.
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Based out of Jaipur, All Things is a chocolate brand that is contemporary at heart and is inspired by the joy of small things in life. A chocolate factory that celebrates art in the everyday, they use directly traded cacao straight from the farms to create unique flavours for everyone. They have some unusual flavours ranging from chai and biscuit with chocolate to passion fruit and dark chocolate pairings.
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Born in the vibrant city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Chitra’m Chocolates are pioneers in making Indian chocolates known to the world. Owner Arun Vishwanathan has gotten us accolades from international competitions for their unique chocolate flavours that will tease your palate for more. Cocoa from the hills of Kerala and ingredients from the bazaars of Chennai exhibit nuances of the chocolates made. Their Mango Lassi Milk Chocolate is a must-try from this brand.
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India’s first sustainable, vegan and luxury brand of chocolate that ensures —zero wastage right from production to packaging to waste disposal—Kocoatrait is the chocolate brand we all have been waiting for! This environmentally-conscious brand is as luxurious as it gets. Flavours ranging from simple dark chocolate to lemongrass, jaggery, red rose, lavender and sukku coffee and coconut cinnamon—Kocoatrait chocolate bars have a wide array of flavours to try!
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Started in the winter of 2017, by Zeinorin and Leiyolan, in the district of Ukhrul in a remote corner in the North East of Manipur—Hill Wild has embraced the nature surrounding it. Their chocolates are infused with the unique flavours from their region, making it stand out from the rest! Black rice, sesame seed and sumac happen to be their bestselling chocolates and we can’t wait to get our hands on them!
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Who would have thought that thandai would make a great chocolate? Clearly the makers of Paul & Smith had their flavour antennas up and running. Headquartered in Kochi, Kerala, they grow and ferment their cocoa in their own farms. With unique flavour profiles like the Balkan rose, Sichuan pepper and orange peel, now available pan India, Paul & Mike is a brand to be reckoned with.
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Formerly known as Earth Loaf, Naviluna is based out of the culturally rich city of Mysore in Karnataka. This brand believes in creating complex flavours in their chocolates highlighting the provenance unique to the ‘terroir of our cacao’. With flavors like longum pepper lime with orange and tokai coffee and pineapple chocolate bar, Naviluna definitely has created some niche flavours!
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Pascati is among the few artisanal chocolate makers that control every step of chocolate making. Their single-origin dark chocolate bars are made from cacao sourced from Idukki and Malabar region of Kerala. Blueberry walnut, raspberry hibiscus and lemon ginger are few of the flavoured bars one must try from Pascati.
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Soklet is India’s first and only tree-to-bar chocolate maker! Cacao from their own plantation set in Tamil Nadu’s scenic Anamalai foothills, Soklet makes it’s chocolate taste as complex as fine wine. The beans are fermented and roasted to ultimately give us the decadent bar of chocolate in flavours of filter kaapi, bhut jolokia chilli and desi rabdi to name a few.
Every person has a preference on their choice of chocolate, but chocolate is chocolate and most, if not all love it! As the CMD of The Chocolate Room that completed 15 years this June as pioneers in serving people all things chocolate, Mr Chaitanya Kumar L rightfully says, “Chocolate is something that always brings a smile to our faces and adds sweetness to life. Every occasion is incomplete without the sweetness of chocolates.”
Happy World Chocolate Day, everyone!
[Image Credit: Shutterstock]
Shraddha Shetty