JOIN USIndian chocolate comes of age
India's tryst with cacao production dates back several centuries to the late 1700s, when British colonialists identified its climate as conducive to cultivating cocoa. Mass-produced in farms and estates in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, India's chocolate has journeyed from a dark past of slavery, price wars and child labour to become a fair trade practice only in the 21st century.
The bean-to-bar technique of chocolate making—producing a bar of chocolate from single-origin cacao beans without any additives or emulsifiers—has empowered many aspiring chocolatiers in India to start handcrafted, limited production brands.
Much of the process is handmade and artisanal. The bean-to-bar or tree-to-bar style retains the flavours from the terroir of the cacao, with distinct tasting notes, much like fine wine or single malt whisky.
More Indians are opening up to homegrown chocolates thanks to brands that are actively propagating knowledge about craft chocolates and how to appreciate them.
Cocoashala in Chennai, a chocolate-making institute, offers courses in chocolate making. It has partnered with the International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting, UK, to administer Chocolate Tasting Certification courses in India.
The institute's founder Nitin L Chordia also started Kocoatrait, a zero-waste and planet friendly vegan chocolate brand, in 2019.
"The craft of chocolate making can be made sustainable, but not much effort has been made in this direction by the mass brands, which is why we decided to take this approach," said Chordia.
Along with his wife Poonam, Chordia is on a mission to impart the knowledge of cacao tasting and chocolate making and transform more chocolate lovers into makers in a sustainable way. He, however, has an objection to the current trend of "artisanal" chocolates.
"Artisanal would mean each bar is handmade, which is not the case as bean-to-bar involves mechanized roasting, winnowing and conching processes. A better way to describe the current bean-to-bar industry would be to call it 'craft chocolates' as the technique allows a maker to master his signature blends and styles," said Chordia.
Cacao production has faced complications in fair trade pricing for a long time in India. Since a market crash in the 1980s, cacao farmers supplying global giants like Cadbury and Nestle faced all-time low pricing. Moreover, fair trade pricing also takes away the incentive for a farmer to produce better quality cacao when they get paid the same as someone with inferior beans. The low margins also force farmers to employ child labour for cheap. Craft chocolate makers are addressing these problems today by paying a premium to get the best quality beans directly from producers.
Devansh Ashar, who started a USDA Organic and Fairtrade compliant chocolate brand Pascati in Mumbai in 2015, trained in the art of chocolate making at Cocoashala.
"We work with the Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK) to source our Malabar Hills cacao and handcraft it into signature chocolates," said Ashar.
Pondicherry based Mason & Co. was one of the first artisanal chocolate brands in the country. The company works directly with cacao producers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to source unflavoured, original produce with a strict benchmark for quality. True to the term "artisanal," a highly-skilled, local all-women workforce handles the chocolate-making process by hand. The company holds high standards for transparency in sourcing and fair trade practices, informs Mansi Reddy, Director of Marketing at Mason & Co.
Chitram Craft Chocolates from Coimbatore emerged after founder Arun Vishwanathan trained as an apprentice with a chocolatier in Belgium. Vishwanathan wanted to create a familiar flavour profile for Indian consumers, a tribute to his late mother, Chitra. The idea is reflected in the brand's Mango Lassi (milk), Moringa & Lemon (white) and Palm sugar (dark) variants. The brand also works with certified organic producers in Kerala.
Award-winning chocolate maker Paul & Mike is a step ahead. They pay a higher premium than fair trade prices to source honest ingredients from farmers in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. According to founder Vikas Temani, it helps incentivize the farmers to live up to the brand's exacting standards.
(Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay is a marketing communications professional and an avid traveller who explores new ideas in food and beverages)