Is there anybody who has returned from a foreign jaunt without clutching prized packets of Swiss or Belgium chocolates? Is there anyone who has not done that last-minute airport duty-free shopping for Snickers, Mars, Bounty or those shell-shaped Gulians? The day, however, is not far off when tourists may go back from different corners of India with not only a bag full of memories but also some desi choco-delicacies.
Driving the sweet revolution is a gaggle of chocolate lovers cum entrepreneurs who want to alter the image of the humble Indian chocolate by infusing it with a multitude of flavours. “Innovation is what makes the market surge ahead,” says Srinath Balachandran, chocolate connoisseur and owner of Choco La chocolate boutique in Pondicherry. A foodie with a hotel management degree, his passion for the dark sweet wonders took him all the way to France where he learned the art and pleasure of chocolate making under an expert.
“We always rave about Swiss and Belgium chocolates but why not about our own indigenous brands?” asks Srinath, whose chocolate pakoras are both mindboggling and mouth-watering.
A genius in churning out exotic varieties, Srinath has celebrity customers including music composer A.R. Rahman who loves his delicious bourbon infused specialities. He specially made a chocolate bat and ball for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who gorged on it during his trip to the outlet. Presently, ChocoLa exports spicy chocolates to Europe as the Western world is discovering a taste for them. “Indian palates are still not ready for such subtle tastes,” says Srinath.
But then, as Renny Jacob, director of Cacobean range of chocolates, points out, “Chocolates are like wine, you should acquire a taste for the best.”
Visit his factory tucked away in a bylane next to the Cemetery Junction in Kochi and you are in for a delicious surprise. Rows and rows of sinful delights in gorgeous wrappers and exotic boxes await their journey to different parts of the country and abroad. “Choclates are powerful in building relationships,” beams this entrepeuner, who was just another planter in a Kerala town called Kanjirapally before he discovered his dark and sweet calling in life.
It was during his travels across Kerala, procuring the best in cacao beans, that he hit upon the chocolate trail. As he researched about the world of chocolates, it not only triggered his creativity but also opened his eyes to certain interesting facts.
“That’s when I found that some things that come neatly wrapped as bars are not chocolate at all,” he says. That most of the so-called chocolates had very little cocoa mass or cocoa couverture, a major ingredient in premium chocolates, was an eye-opener.
One of his aims now is to educate people on what is real chocolate and what is not. He travelled to the major chocolate producing countries in search of the best cocoa couverture. “But tackling the logistics and the unfavourable climatic conditions was not an easy task,” says Renny.
Something that started as a passion knew no bounds when giants like Walmart, Barista and Café Coffee Day queued up to buy his luscious pralines and truffles with exotic flavours. Today, Renny uses Swiss technology to process chocolates at his factory in back-of-the-beyond Peerumedu.
A reason why high quality chocolates are still not appreciated by many Indians is because they have too sweet a palate, says Sandesh of Chennai who ventured into the chocolate business after acquiring an engineering degree. Starting from a tiny outlet called Sinful Something, next to his house at RA Puram, Sandesh now owns three outlets that are known for chocolate-based desserts. Another irresistible item available at his place is chocolate and bacon, a South American delicacy. “Sweet, smokey and salty” is how Sandesh describes his avant garde combination which is already a hit among adventurous Chennaites. “Though I am allergic to chocolates and get a bout of migraine if I go overboard, I love to explore new trends,” says Sandesh.
New York is where he goes to discover new trends as he feels New Yorkers share certain sensibilities with Indians when it comes to chocolates.
More than money, it is passion that rules the chocolate market. For instance, avant garde designer Raghavendra Rathore stepped into the sweet track some years ago after he realised that there is nothing better to gift loved ones than these dark delights. Like his one-of-a-kind designs, this erstwhile prince of Jodhpur was inspired to enter the world of chocolates after chancing upon a 200-year-old customised menu on sweets he found in the Bikaner palace. “It’s like fashion where everyone has a fabric but the adeptness lies in the right use of it,” explains Rathore, admitting his personal favourite is Godiva chocolates, which in his opinion are as divine as they sound.
A chocoholic who owns the brand Les Chocolats De Jodhpore, he believes there is nothing to beat an assortment of chocolates served after a three or seven course dinner. “Chocolates are even replacing sweets during festivities,” says the designer.