Indian chocolatiers on the ephemeral art of crafting confectionery

Anuva Kakkar

The longing to indulge in a smooth cup of quality hot chocolate after a tiring day without breaking the bank led Agra-based Anuva Kakkar to start her own business and open a full-fledged factory. “When I started out, I would stand outside metro stations in Gurugram and one day I sold 5 litres within 52 minutes. Soon, I partnered with a metro kiosk and ended up selling 1,000 cups. Eventually, I quit my full-time job and Tiggle was born,” says Kakkar. Her hot chocolate mix-based brand sources cocoa from a Tamil Nadu farm while also partnering with other cocoa farms to run an all-women chocolate factory in Agra. Alongside the traditional hot chocolate, consumers from India can order from a range of flavoured mixes like jaggery-sweetened dark hot chocolate, hazelnut hot chocolate or 55% dark iced chocolate.

Pragati Sawhney

From a doctor faculty in NYC to a baker in Gurugram, Sawhney entered the business in 2011. “While learning about chocolates, I got disturbed seeing the trainer pour vegetable oil, sugar and artificial essence… It was a chocolate made with no real chocolate,” says Sawhney, who then came up with Chockriti. Kriti means “fine work of art” and “choc” is short for chocolate. Her uniqueness comes from extracting flavours from natural teas, flowers, spices and herbs and using organic single-origin cocoa from South India or fine fair-trade cacao made in Belgium. “The chocolates are made in small batches; we create thin shells by hand painting and do not use pre-made industrial fillings,” says Sawhney, who delivers pan India and has Banarasi paan, roohafza, sandalwood, mogra, jamun chocolates, etc. on offer.

David Belo

The pioneer of bean-to-bar concept in India, Belo’s discovery of cacao from Gokarna, Karnataka, led him to start Naviluna, an artisanal chocolate-making company in Mysuru famed for making “two-ingredient” chocolate. “Our base is made with cacao nibs and cane sugar. We also experiment with local, non-typical ingredients like jackfruit, Malabar black pepper, mango, red capsicum and candied bamboo shoots with lemongrass,” he says. Naviluna received two Great Taste awards from the Guild of Fine Foods in the UK in 2017, followed by a silver medal at the International Chocolate Awards — Asia Pacific in 2018.

Varun Inamdar

The only chef chocolatier in India to have two National Awards to his credit, Varun Inamdar can be rightly called a chocolate purveyor. His journey started with an encounter with Mother Teresa. “When she was visiting my school, I heard someone mentioning her affection for chocolate and went running to offer her some. She smiled and said, ‘This chocolate, my child, will change your destiny’.” Today, the Mumbai-based chef is sharing his experience with aspiring chocolatiers at his culinary school, which is 100% veg and egg-free, keeping Indian palates and chocolates in mind.

Shefali Dadabhoy

For Chennai-based Shefali Dadabhoy, the concept of ‘floral brownies’ came from childhood memory: “I was engrossed in making bookmarks, cards by pressing flowers on paper to bring about floral designs.” Today, she uses organic edible flowers from her terrace garden or sourced from places in Nilgiris to craft classic fudgy brownies, blondies, crepe cakes, tea cakes and more. “Because every floral ingredient is distinctive, every bake offers a unique visual, sensory experience,” says the artist who delivers across India via her brand Shef’s.