This Indian Chocolate Factory Is On Time's "World's Greatest Places" List

At Hyderabad's 'Manam Chocolate Karkhana', you are sold not just premium India-crafted chocolates but a story. It is a profound story about the origins of that chocolate from Indian cacao, grown in the farms of West Godavari, and its unique journey to become people's object of desire in the store, with credit to everyone along the way who made it happen. That is why it is called Manam, which in Telugu means 'us' or 'we', and that includes farmers, women who harvest and process the pod, the fermenter, the chocolate-maker and the chocolatier.

Validation for this experiential centre, a retail store and a chocolate factory, came in the form of a mention in Time Magazine's list for 2024, among the top 100 amazing places to visit in the world.

The facade of the retail store-cum-factory in Hyderabad's Banjara Hills is itself styled on a chocolate bar. A strong aroma of roasted chocolate beans welcomes you in, and inside is a dream come true for chocolate lovers. You are spoilt for choice. From chocolates as bars, tablets, bonbon, palettes, truffles, and gelato to a world of endless confections with cakes, cups, loaf cakes, macarons, beverages, snacks, short bread cookies, viennoiserie, there are 300 plus products in over 50 categories.

Founder Chaitanya Muppala is the Indian Willy Wonka here. His mission is to take chocolate made from Indian cacao, by Indians, for Indians and the world. He explains why one should discover Indian craft chocolate that has already won coveted 17 international awards in less than a year of coming into the market.

"I am trying to establish for the world that chocolate is something that grows on a tree and does not come out of a fridge or supermarket. We want to shatter the fascination we have been having with European tags, Swiss, Belgian, and French and try to create a reputation for Indian cacao, that we can make world-class, award-winning international standard chocolate with Indian cacao."

Chaitanya does not subscribe to the bean-to-bar story of chocolates and that is why they have partnered with nearly 150 farmers in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari, to get involved long before the bean is born, imbibing flavours originating in its environment. Post-harvesting happens at the world's second-largest fine-flavour fermentery, where proprietary processes are used to develop distinct flavour and complexity from the bean itself, instead of through additives. AI and blockchain technologies are used for transparency and to carefully monitor the parameters. After careful fermentation and drying, the ready-to-use beans arrive at Hyderabad.

"Attempt is to get complexity and flavour from the bean and express that through various techniques of craft in chocolate. As against commodity or industrial cacao where attempt is to wipe the bean clear of everything and then induce flavour through industrial process or additive. Here, when we roast the beans we are trying to create a balance of bitterness, astringency, and acidity. The bean is cracked to make nibs that are still palatable and yummy because it is fine flavour cacao bean," he explains.

At the store, a QR code on literally every chocolate bar tells you where the cacao came from, it is traceable to the farmer growing it, and the conditions in which it was grown and processed. The idea is not just traceability and respect to the farmer and others who contributed to it, but also to ensure they get an equitable share.

"All chocolate is traceable down to the tree, barks have farmers name printed on them, we have QR code if you scan, takes you to that farm, who grew that cacao in that bar. Contrast that with European chocolate that gets its cacao from Ivory Coast and Ghana where there is an inequitable history of the coloniser who eats the chocolate and the colony that grows it," he adds.

Visitors can get a tour of the Manam Chocolate Factory to watch the controlled roasting, the grinding in the Coimbatore-style idli grinding machines, the making of chocolate and the artistry of how it takes so many forms. Chef Ruby Islam who comes with years of patisserie experience creates her magic.

"The cacao butter is delicious and expensive. The bean has nearly 50 per cent of fat. But the chocolate in the market doesn't have that good fat, instead, it gets replaced with cheap hydrogenated vegetable oil," visitors are told.

There is a chocolate lab, to build your own bar of chocolate. You can pick from the dark, white and milk chocolate that flows freely from the taps at the lab and you can choose your ingredients and embellishment from Imam Pasand, Kashmiri walnuts, freeze-dried strawberries among other things. Chakkarakeli, a much-loved banana from West Godavari, takes sinfully delicious new avatars here. You can customise your product and even put your name on it.

13-year-old Naithik says he has always been in love with chocolate but this one was special. "They also display the chocolate factory here which I found super interesting because normally people don't do that at all. And the recognition of farmers makes you think about them too," he said.

Anil, who works at Microsoft Seattle, says he is fascinated by the unique story of Indian chocolate. "I have tasted many flavours. But this one coming from West Godavari is so fresh and very different. It is fascinating that this is happening in Hyderabad."

His wife Shwetha says "So far they would bring chocolate from abroad as a gift to family and friends in India. Now I am so inspired and proud to take chocolate, crafted in India, to my friends in the US."

Over the next three years, Manam Chocolate plans to be in multiple metro cities across the country and the future plan is to be premium global brand telling the Indian-origin chocolate craft story.