Here are some numbers and facts to show us how seriously we love our chocolate: The Indian chocolate market is set to hit 3.3 billion dollars this year. Over one-fifth of this population eats chocolate every day, over half of them eat chocolate frequently. Leading the charge in growth is dark chocolate.
We love it for many many things, not the least because it’s considered a health food now, rich in manganese, copper, and magnesium (the current hot favourite mineral supplement), but because it’s considered premium, a variant of chocolate for grown-ups, for a sophisticated palate that does not want the candy-like sweetness of sugary and creamy milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is also beautifully enhanced by pairing it with other ingredients, from jaunty chillies to a creamy sitaphal. Dark chocolate is like wine, to be savoured.
Recently, one of our enthuwriters Shirin Mehrotra in a story for HT Brunch spoke about how Indian dark chocolate is becoming not only the flavour du jour, but also coming into its own. She says that the bean-to-bar artisanal Indian chocolate market now offers about 50 (!!) local brands.
So, just in time for last-minute Diwali gift buying, we’ve put together a list of a few of these dark craft chocolate bars that are fully desi, from the sourcing of the beans to mix-ins that make them fully festive. Carry these to your next Diwali house party.
1. Manam
Manam, which means “us” in Telugu, tells the story of its farmer-partners, its craftspeople and its meticulous chocolate-making process through a “Chocolate Karkhana” in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills. We only need to take a look at @manamchocolate to see how seriously Manam takes the words, “Indian”, “craft”, and “community”. In its 45 categories across 250+ products, Manam showcases the diversity of Indian chocolate.
enthuRecommends: Chocolate Lab No. 1 | 60% Dark with Mango-Ginger | Origin – West Godavari.
2. Saraam
This is chocolate that’s made in The City of Lakes. Saraam is a young company – it was established in December 2020 by a nineteen-year-old, Digvijay Singh. Saraam sources single-origin fermented beans from South India and processes them in Udaipur. They have flavoured previous bars with phalsa, kokam, karondia, and Mathania mirch. This season we’re seeking their Indian.
enthuRecommends: 60% Dark Chocolate | Baer | Single-Origin
3. Soklet
Soklet’s plantations in the foothills of Tamil Nadu’s Anaimalai range provide the cacao for its beautiful single-origin bars. The trees grow alongside coconut, nutmeg, pepper, and banana, and the brand’s name is inspired by the endearing way the locals pronounce the word chocolate.
enthuRecommends: 70% Dark Chocolate with Hibiscus and Pumpkin Seeds, and 70% Dark chocolate with Bhut Jolokia Chilli
This bean-to-bar brand is all about sourcing great local cacao, and then marrying it with regional ingredients that tell the stories of the places they come from. The resulting chocolate evokes an emotion or matches a mood. Cases in point, are stunningly wrapped bar names, All Things Winter, All Things Comfort, and our favourite, All Things Water.
enthuRecommends: All Things Water | 64% Malabar Forest Blend Dark Chocolate With Sea Salt
Tamil Nadu-based Chitram describes itself as “bean-to-bar chocolates with a touch of India”. The fruity Mukkani trio in our pick for this guide has three tropical dried fruits that are not quite your typical Diwali “dry fruits”, but they are oh so Indian. The Garuda imagery on the pack and the colours are peak festive mood.
enthuRecommends: Holy Fruit Trio (Mukkani) with mango powder, dried jackfruit slices, dried mango slices, dried banana slices.
6. THC The Himalayan Chocolate
Made in Kulu Manali by women, THC uses ingredients from the mountains surrounding its HQ to flavour its chocolates. The company is, in fact, a social enterprise, it empowers local rural communities to delight Indian urbanites. Now that is sweet!
enthuRecommends: Ladakhi Roasted Barley Dark Chocolate
7. Anuttama
From Dakshina Kannada’s Bettampady comes Anuttama, which means ‘the finest, the best, or the highest’ in Sanskrit. They get their cocoa from their own farms and also source some from the esteemed neighbouring Varanshi Organic Farms. Their whole farm-to-bar process, they say, is chemical-free. The Bella Tharai bar, with jaggery and coconut, is a bestseller. For this guide though, we’ve picked something a bit more punchy.
enthuRecommends: Spicy Tang | 62% Cocoa | Jaggery | Ginger | Pepper
