The Indian Cacao and Craft Chocolate Festival returns to Bengaluru

‘Bigger. Better. Bountiful.’ That is how Ketaki Churi and Patricia Cosma — co-founders of one of India’s largest festivals dedicated to chocolate — describe its upcoming fourth edition. To be held in Bengaluru, the Indian Cacao and Craft Chocolate Festival has a host of new offerings, including international brands, workshops, and other interactive activities.

“We are bringing together 40 artisanal brands, out of which about 25 are craft chocolate brands and cacao farmers,” says Patricia, adding that brands like Manam, Subko Cacao, Bon Fiction, Paul & Mike, Chitra’m, and Soklet “will have bigger, customised setups on the ground floor”. The only parameters they keep in mind when selecting new chocolate brands are that “they have to be tree to bar or bean to bar, and the quality has to meet certain standards”, she adds. 

Visitors can expect all-day workshops and talks; a display by gourmet food brands such as Maki, The Cubbon Table, Trippy Goat, Copper & Cloves, Ulo; and a cacao ceremony guided by musician and sound bath facilitator Siddarth Venkat. Other new additions include a live stall by BAR, a new craft couverture chocolate brand from Baroda, and visitors will be able to see pastry chefs creating confectionery with their chocolate.

“We also have on board a new fine cacao processing brand from Kerala, India Cocoa, and the internationally recognised machinery brand, Spectra,” says Patricia, adding that Hibiscus Heroes from Auroville has crafted the festival’s bags that visitors can buy and get screen printed at the venue.

Putting farmers first

“For those into pairings, we have options to try with chocolate, including cheese, wine, tea, coffee, and even functional mushrooms,” adds Ketaki, who will also host a hands-on session for children where they will draw whatever they imagine when they taste certain varieties of chocolate. Other events include talks on specialty coffee meets fine cacao and how to run a chocolate business profitably.

A tasting session in progress
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Ketaki adds how visitors enjoy meeting cacao farmers and trying their farm-grown products. “This year, Chempotty Estate from Mysore will be bringing their own chocolate huraco, and Varanashi Farms from Dakshina Kannada will be sharing their earth-to-bar Terra artisanal chocolate bars with organic superfoods. Cacao processors like Kuruvilakunel and India Cocoa from Kerala will also be there with unique regional flavours.

The duo also makes it a point to support farmers by hosting sessions that introduce them to the latest trends and sustainable practices in cacao cultivation and the business of chocolate. “This year, Partha Varanashi of Varanashi Farms will be discussing the health benefits of cacao from regenerative farms, while Devansh from Pascati Chocolate will share what he’s learned from nearly a decade of running a chocolate factory, offering tips on building a successful chocolate business,” says Ketaki.

Visitors at an earlier edition of the event
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

International offerings

In a first, the duo are bringing two tree-to-bar brands from Philippines and Thailand, and an international speaker, Martin Christy from the International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting (IICCT) who will host the festival’s first international tasting session.

“I will be leading a tasting of craft chocolate bars, both single origin and flavoured ones, which will help to show how the new Indian craft chocolate scene matches up against the best in the world of fine chocolate,” says Martin, who says farmers need to move away from growing generic mixes of cacao types towards single varietal cacao. We also have a professional session on the genetics of Indian cacao to understand how farmers could develop their crops in the future.”

Addressing India’s unique approach to craft chocolate, Martin talks about how most Indian craft chocolate brands have “started off with a serious intention and larger scale investment, great branding and a great message for consumers.”

It can be a great future, Martin says. “Indian producers, however, need to also work on their recipes to really get up to world standards. The worldwide movement is new and moving fast, as we can see in countries like Thailand. India is on a great trajectory and just needs to take that one more step up to really become world class.”

On November 16 and 17 at Bengaluru International Centre. From 10 am to 8 pm. For tickets, log on to craftchocolateindia.com