The Chocolatier’s diary
Do you share the passion of making dense dark delightful chocolates that melt softly on the sweet palette and tenderly style a synergy of taste and emotion when eaten?

By Renu Pattani
Chocolates are the sweetest indulgence known to mankind and probably the most delicious of inventions of all times. With their earliest possible documented usage being around 1100 BC, chocolates have been sweetening lives since ages. When we talk about sales, good chocolates promise good business and the best examples can be none other than the Swiss’ Lindt, Ferrero Spa (Ferrero Rocher fame), Hershey’s Belgian Guylian and our very own Cadbury.

An instantaneous decision
If somebody would have told me 20 years ago that I would be investing in a chocolate business of my own, I would never have believed it! I had developed a sweet tooth since childhood. My father used to bring me the best of chocolates when he returned from foreign trips; these trips used to happen 3-4 times a year. The rest of year I kept missing the rich taste. Then the Internet happened and we were introduced to Google. While surfing the Internet, I started collecting various recipes and started making chocolates on my own. My passion for cooking and my desire of sharing a little bit of the taste extravaganza with my family and friends, led me into inventing and improvising on recipes of my own. The smiles on their faces and the delight in their eyes that I saw each time they tried my chocolates, got me engaged into making more and more of these homemade charmers.

With the super-sized profits involved, an enterprise idea of becoming a chocolatier hit me when I was in my final year of college. I studied English at Sophia’s, Mumbai; but my life was all set for a change when one of my college friends tried some chocolate that I had made at home. She was so impressed with its taste and texture that she persuaded me to start my own homemade chocolate business. The expertise and knowledge about chocolates kept increasing through the experience I gained by working and the business, only through word of mouth.

Handling assignments
Today, my job is to develop the chocolate business, take care of the general management and produce innovative chocolate recipes. In the beginning, I train new-joinees and teach them our chocolate making methods. When you start your own company or work as a chocolatier for an organisation, always focus on carving a niche for yourself by being as innovative and unique as possible. While making chocolates, the taste and design matter the most, then comes the part of how well you present the packaging. Thus, we can conclude that good chocolates need good presentation so that people are lured to pull them off the shelves.

The success rests on the fact that we have come up with a new concept having a strong identity coupled with quality; this is the magic formula for the good growth of this business. In the beginning, it was not as easy for me as it may sound here. Many outlets did not like my idea of putting homemade chocolates on their shelves. There were many who advised me that I should drop the idea of making a living through chocolates and do something better. But I did not give up and the story is different now; various bakers and confectioners in Mumbai show interest in my venture, wanting to buy my products. The orders that come in are huge. I also take orders from caterers and food managers, who need chocolates for big gatherings, parties, and weddings etc. Even after so many years, there are instances where I still to make people believe that my chocolates are homemade and not imported from elsewhere. It is only when an individual samples some of the products that s/he realises the quality of the product that we offer!

Start up requirements
I started my business very small with by hiring 1 helping hand at first and adding a second one to the group after the initial six months. I had to buy raw material, small equipment, a computer, rent a small house, get the products packed and pay the wages of the 2 helping hands. This went on for almost two and a half years before we started making small profits for ourselves. Today I work with ten people on the team, apart from the accountant, business developer and manager. So starting small does not matter, what matters is how you make your business grow.

The difficulties
Believing immensely in this dream I had dreamt and enjoying every day of work as an adventure helped me through the early days. And I was not alone in believing that the dream would come true; my team members were always supportive and the mutual support between all of us helped us through the difficulties every time. Chocolates are a treat for the palette and even with the huge amount of competition in the market, it is not an uphill task to woo customers and build long term relationships because India has a very large population and you will always manage an audience who would like to be entertained. When we started the business, we used to give away some chocolates for free and till date we follow the same tradition. Also, I am now able to delegate most of my production work to some of our senior members of the team, which leaves me with ample time to think about growth strategies. ‘Quality’ is the main word in this line of business because it is only with quality that we can build a lifetime relationship with our customers. Ours being a local product, is cheaper, thus giving us an edge over our competitors having similar quality.

As a profession in India
This profession, according to me, is on a run for more – more colour, more glitter, bigger boxes, fancier packaging. India, which is a land full of colours is also known for its massive indulgence in sweets and chocolates. The craze for homemade chocolates has always been on the rise and if sold at reasonable prices, people in India will not mind spending on something that is worth the price. So, a chocolatier can look forward to a bright career in India. The need is to work with all the dedication you can afford.

It took me years to arrive to where I am now. My decision to become a chocolatier was sudden and I needed more time to learn the profession. It came down to the love and passion for what I was doing; as enjoyed what I did, I never felt tired. I think there are plenty of opportunities waiting to be explored in this business. Just find an idea which you can believe in and start working on that idea; better ideas would soon follow suit. It is important to be focused. All of us are unique and thus, we all have the potential to create something unique. There are many interesting books that you could read before you start your business or develop it. Doing this gave me an important leverage to handle my business.

Where to start
It has been a slow journey for me comparatively but now I am ready to take my business to the next level and we are planning the registration of our own brand, Cocoalicious. With this turn, we are hoping to cater to more and more cities in India. My advice to all of you would be that starting early at the age of 14-15, will be very advantageous because by the time you are ready to open up your own business you will have lots of hands on experience. At first, take up chocolate making as a hobby. Then, if you feel like you can opt for professional chocolatier courses. Attaining success is not a speedy process; it requires a lot of patience. Just concentrate on the quality of the products, market them well and know everything possible about the profession. And what if you have a great passion for chocolates but do not like to make them? You have the option of becoming a chocolate taster! How does that sound?

Chocolate facts
Caffeine content: You would have to eat more than a dozen chocolate bars to get the same amount of
caffeine that you get from a cup of coffee.
Valuable energy source: A single chocolate chip can provide enough energy for an adult human to walk
150 ft.
Health benefits: Chocolate helps in controlling depression, high blood pressure and tumors.
The myth: Chocolate causes or aggravates acne.
Source of iron: One ounce of baking chocolate or cocoa contains 10% of the daily recommended intake of iron.
Deadly for dogs: Chocolate contains an ingredient called "theobromine" that can be toxic to a dog’s central nervous system and cardiac muscles.
Expenditure: People spend more than $7 billion dollars a year on chocolate.
Per capita consumption: Each person consumes about 12 pounds of chocolate every year.
Most preferred: Milk Chocolate tops this list, however, dark chocolate is especially popular among men.


— The writer is a Mumbai-based chocolatier with 10 years of experience in the field.