The handcrafted chocolate by ITC took almost ten years of research and the import of cocoa from Africa and South America. By Jigyasu Joshi
Great chocolate is no different than a great wine. From ordinary rectangular bars to highly elaborate pieces of art, from being nothing but a treat for children to now being a luxury mood-elevation property, the metamorphosis of chocolate is truly noteworthy. First grown and used in Central and South America, it was the western European countries which took the credit of taking chocolates all over the world and making it as popular as it is today. With the best of chocolates coming from countries like Belgium and Switzerland, the question remains that why can’t India, with its immense culinary heritage, be a part of this elite group of luxury chocolate creatorsIJ
The same thought took the diversified conglomerate, ITC limited, to stamp its claim on the sector with the luxury chocolate brand, Fabelle. “Chocolate is an unexplored category in our country. Even the per capita consumption is low when compared to the South-East Asian economies. And when we talk about luxury chocolates, it practically doesn’t even exist in India. So we decided to come up with a luxury chocolate brand for the Indian markets,” said G.K. Suresh, Vice-President New Category Development and a member of the Divisional Management Committee of the food business, ITC. The company is hoping to create a luxury chocolate market in the country after almost a decade of product development by its food division.
The handcrafted chocolate took almost ten years of research and the import of cocoa from Africa and South America. “None of our chocolates are plain. All of them have a story behind them. For instance, we have a box chocolate called Elements. It’s a hand-crafted prelim where each prelim is inspired by an element of nature like water, fire, earth and wind. Not only that the prelims look like an element but also tastes like one,” said Suresh. Explaining further about the taste of the chocolates, he said, “The chocolates taste as exotic as they sound. The chocolate inspired from the water element has acacia honey, which flows into the mouth. And for the fire element you get fiery Ancho chilli on top of a dark chocolate shell filled with white mousse and candied mango.”
Talking about the last celebration months of the year, Suresh said that they have created a range of exquisite chocolate gift hampers and boxes of ganache. “Also, we have one unique category called ‘As you like It’ in which one can create his/her own chocolate. From the two chocolate cups, dark and milk, and can choose from ten different fillings. So that will make for some 140-150 odd combinations to gifts,” he concluded.