Smoor to open 30,000 sq ft chocolate experience centre in Bengaluru

Bengaluru will soon be able to get the Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory experience as city-based chocolate brand Smoor is set to come up with a 30,000 sq. feet facility, where people will get to experience live chocolate-making process

People will get to experience everything from manufacturing of chocolates to workings of packaging labs to R&D and finally tasting the final product in the new facility, which will employ 400-500 people.

The company has invested Rs 15 crore in the upcoming project which is slated to open in November. It will be located at KR Puram near HAL.

“Currently we have a 6,000 sq. feet manufacturing plant. The upcoming facility is 30,000 sq. feet and we have the provision to extend it to another two floors, which would add another 60,000 sq. feet. This is probably the biggest of its kind in India,” says Vimal Sharma, Founder, Director and CEO of Bliss Chocolates which makes the Smoor brand.

“The facility is being built for the future as it would be equipped to handle our growth across pan India. We have an aggressive growth strategy and the facility will be able to manage volumes across the country,” Vimal adds. The company is also looking to go in the market to raise Series A funding for their expansion.

Talking about the quality of the chocolates that Smoor offers, Vimal says, “We have onboard Master Chocolatier Avijit Ghosh and our chocolates are backed by Barry Callebaut, one of the largest manufacturers of chocolates in the world.”

Currently the company is present in three cities, with two lounges in Delhi NCR, one in Mumbai and the remaining 18 in Bengaluru. In the next two months, it plans to open another six locations -- three in Bengaluru and three in Mumbai.

The facility will be open to the public free of cost. “The idea is not to charge people visiting the experience centre but to let them see and understand how tons of chocolates are made. If they like the experience, they would end up buying our products anyway,” says Vimal.