Chocolate. It comes in different forms, meaning different things to different people at different moments, evoking varied emotions, memories and tastes. It is a global industry that has invoked the muse in advertising professionals more than any other product. Breaking frontiers of age, culture, economics and nationalities, it sweetens the life of imbibers. One of mankind’s best discoveries, it is a popular gift and a commonly used ice-breaker in romantic encounters. Today as the world celebrates ‘International Chocolate Day’ with Chennai making no hullabaloo about it, Sonali Shenoy presents an assortment of chocolate stories, flavouring the package with a report on the city’s own ‘home-made chocolate’ confectioners.
Till about 10 years ago, when kids from Chennai would head out to Kodaikanal or Ooty for their summer vacation, one of the highlights was looking for the homemade chocolate. Today’s kids don’t necessarily have to make the trek up a hillstation for a bite into those drool worthy chocolate bricks, you simply can’t find in a supermarket. On International Chocolate Day (September 13), we find that Chennai’s choco-market is booming.
Says Shalini Gowrisankar, an IT Engineering graduate who runs a three-month old Brown Station, “We make about 7,000 gourmet chocolates to order a week.” That breaks down to nearly 30 to 40 orders a month. “And this is non-festive season,” the 23-year-old smiles excitedly. “I can’t imagine how crazy our kitchen is going to be for Diwali!”
To manage the heavy order flow, Shalini and her partner and classmate Dhruv Prakash operate out of both their home kitchens separately. She takes of the chocolate and he manages the baked goodies on the menu. But given that most chocolate-makers are much older, one has to wonder – do these 23-year-olds run their dual kitchens all on their own? Dhruv responds, “Yes, absolutely.” He adds, “We’ve taken some basic classes for training, and at the moment we’ve got about 20 odd chocolate varieties on the menu.” These also include some quirky requests such as Paan chocolate, Dark chocolate with an orange marmalade filling, Gulab (rose flavoured) chocolate and White chocolate with a lemon centre. In fact, they’ve gone as far ahead as to plan for the Diwali season with spice-based chocolate combinations. “I’ve already started experimenting with a chilli and chocolate mix,” says Shalini with a broad smile.
Despite parental apprehensions about the business, it looks like these youngsters made the right call. But what happens when the quantity gets too much to handle? “We do have two people helping us,” Shalini admits. She takes a breath, “I think our largest order so far was 12,000 pieces for a wedding!” It took more than sleepless night to pull through, but they made it, she says with a big smile.
Clearly, the market is economically viable. And to make things even better, all of their publicity is done via online marketing. Chocolate artist Subatra Priyadarshini runs a nation-wide gifting business completely through her website, chocofthetown.com She reveals, “I’ve tied up with courier companies in different cities and the response has really good.” For Subatra, who left a corporate firm to start her chocolate business – the focus was on finding a creative outlet. And when you spot Rajinikanth, painted with strokes of liquid chocolate, you know this lady isn’t kidding. Subatra laughs, “Well that was a one off – most customers want their friends or a family member to be drawn on a chocolate portrait.” She also caters to chocolate bouquets and custom-choco text boxes – each piece bears a letter of the alphabet — so you can send a special someone an edible message. And the best part? Even if it (your message) isn’t short, it will stay sweet.
They say chocolate made with the most care always comes from home. And 22-year-old Alvina Nagothi is not as inclined to push her business, as to make her chocolate. Currently finishing her degree in tourism, she says, “It’s something that’s been passed down through the generations – from my grandmother to my mother to me.” Then adds after a pause, “So really, more than a hobby, it’s in my blood.” Armed with her grandmother’s secret Chocolate fudge recipe, Alvina finds her kitchen experiments just as fulfilling as those who indulge themselves to her spoonful of fudge decadence. Her business doesn’t have a name yet, but her fudge certainly has made one.
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