Chocolate: The delicious cure for a bad day; Chocolate is the happiness you can eat; When it comes to chocolate resistance is futile; and finally, anything is good when it's made with chocolate! Nothing can describe our love and feelings for chocolate better than this!
Who doesn't simply love chocolate? Be it dark, white, milk, a chocolate fondue, gooey brownies, or simply a molten lava cake and maybe rich Belgium chocolate ice cream, just the thought of it is already making my mouth water, I don't know about you! And today is the day chocolate calories don't count because on World Chocolate Day there is nothing known as too much chocolate.
No matter what form you savour chocolate in, it's always a treat to the palette. I was left pleasantly surprised earlier last month when I tried the Betel Leaf coated paan and chocolate bar; proving that good chocolates are not limited to the Swiss land, but India too has some divine chocolate bars that are giving the Swiss brands a run for their money.
In India, the bean to bar chocolate makers have carved a niche for themselves with cacao beans sourced from organic farms across South India. While there might be only a handful in India, they promise impeccable flavours and even a surge in new and unexpected flavours, this year get ready for a sugar rush! We at TSL have curated a list of the best bean-to-bar chocolate brands in India!
Smoor
It was back in 2015 that this Bengaluru-based chocolatier, Smoor brought to Indian handcrafted chocolates by the best chocolate experts from around the world. Their range of Wellness Barks which combine 82% dark chocolate with immunity-focused ingredients like Amla, Ashwagandha, Tulsi, and Giloy are note-worthy.
Mason and Co
This artisan brand is said to be India's first bean-to-bar chocolate brand. Starting its journey from Auroville, Puducherry, the brand today has an all-female workforce. While Mason & Co ensures that all its cacao comes from organic certified farms (especially from Tamil Nadu and Kerela), it also engages directly with farmers and executes every step of chocolate making. Apart from chocolate bars, they also have a range of baking chocolate, chocolate spreads, drinking chocolate, and more. You can be experimental and choose from cinnamon, raisin, Sourdough & sea salt, black sesame & raisin, crunchy peanut butter or stick to the usual pairings.
Colocal
With an offline presence in Dhan Mill and Khan market, Colocal has secured a safe spot with the residents of Delhi. Known for their bean-to-bar chocolates. From mouth-watering truffles to cooking chocolates, bonbons, chocolate bars and inclusion bars, the variety is unending at Colocal. The brand used two ingredients namely ndian cacao beans and cane sugar. "Our Indian origin beans are responsibly grown, ethically sourced, well fermented and carefully roasted to enhance the flavour profile at our factory. To allow the most notes to shine through, we don’t add any soya lecithin, vanilla, flavourings or preservatives- all commonly used in chocolate making."
Kocoatrait
Promising to be sustainable in their practices is Indian brand, Kocoatrait. Known to be the world’s first zero-waste chocolate, Kocoatrait is a luxury chocolate brand that is all about creating organic and planet-friendly bean-to-bar chocolates. With unique flavour pairings the dynamic duo Nitin and Poonam have everyone swooning. We'd suggest you take the path less taken and try the Masala Chai chocolate or the Dark Irish cream chocolate for pure indulgence.
Naviluna Artisan Chocolate
Indulge in a chocolate love affair with Naviluna a brand that takes extra care to ensure authentic rich flavours. With a ‘terroir-centric’ approach to chocolate making, this Mysore-based company is one of the first Indian brands to adopt the bean-to-bar procedure. Their diverse flavours and attractive packaging were an instant hit.
Pascati
Crafted in small batches, Pascati is an artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate company that was started in 2015 by Devansh Asher. Today it is India's first USDA Organic and Fairtrade compliant chocolate brand! Known for their dark chocolate artistry they source the finest cacao beans sourced from select plantations in Kerala and make the unhurried journey from bean to bar or bon bon. Complex flavours and finesse are unpacked making these bar indulgence worthy. They even have spreads and vegan spread to amp up the chocolate experience. Try their fruit-based inclusion bars such as Raspberry Hibiscus, Blueberry Walnut, Orange Cinnamon Hazelnut or centre-filled inclusion bars such as Guava, Chilli and Sea Salt, Paan, Strawberry and Honey, etc
All Things
This chocolate wrapped in goodness will take your tastebuds on a tour like never before! Inspired by "the simple joys of life–a celebration of art in the everyday," All things Chocolate is based in Jaipur, and sources ingredients from across the world with a special line that features only ingredients sourced from India. You can choose dark, white, vegan and milk chocolates with various flavour fusions like rose and pistachio. They use cocoa sourced from Malabar and Madagascar for their Dark chocolate range. The vibrant and quirky packaging adds an extra exciting element to the experience.
Artisanté
Founded by the dynamic father-son founder duo, Raj Madnani and Amit Madnani Artisanté is based on the philosophy of offering refined flavours in everyday luxuries. Explore the world of chocolates, bringing you an array of dark, milk, white, ruby and single origin chocolate bars as well as hot chocolate and mocha mixes. Indulge in flavours inspired by their favourite beach and sunset holidays such as with Santorini – a Mediterranean treat of 65% dark chocolate luxe blend of cocoa beans with rosemary-infused olive oil and a dash of sea salt.
The bean-to-bar chocolate makers work closely with Indian cacao farmers and invest in higher-quality, organic products. But what makes them extra special is the lack of chemical additives, emulsifiers, artificial flavours, or preservatives, keeping the taste as close to the original product as possible.
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