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This is not exactly a scene out of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, but the sheer thought of being able to soak in the aromas of chocolate all around you can be quite addictive. Imagine being able to nibble on all kinds of this delicious treat – from flavoured ones to pure dark?
The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival, slated to be held at Bangalore International Center on November 12 and 13, 2022, will not only give you the opportunity to add a few extra calories but also take you through the techniques of making craft chocolate through its workshops.
This collective project, put together by the craft chocolate community, is perhaps India’s first congregation of craft chocolate makers, gourmet chocolatiers, cacao farmers, industry professionals getting together to bring you nothing but two days of chocolate-filled experiences.
Patricia Cosma, the brain behind the festival and also a bean-to-bar chocolate consultant, says that her obsession with chocolate took her all over the world, exploring cacao farms and visiting chocolatiers. After moving to India from Romania about two years ago, she realised that while India has some incredible chocolate, the community needed to be tighter. “I went to almost all the cacao farms here and it was incredible to see the work everyone was doing. This would be 2016, perhaps. And I was amazed at the quality of specialty chocolate the country was capable of. So it was always at the back of my mind to organise something surrounding chocolate.”
Cosma joined hands with Ketaki Churi, a chocolatier and chocolate maker from Mumbai, to design this festival. “It’s so interesting that during my travels, I have met people who talk more about Indian chocolate and what’s going on in India in that segment that Indians do. There are such brilliant products here. India is extremely capable of making the kind of chocolate Europeans are typically known for,” she says.
As the event plans developed, most of the leading brands came forward to be part of it. And not just chocolate but coffee brands such as ARAKU Coffee, who will be creating dishes involving chocolate as well. The agenda is to bring the community together and to give people the chance to understand the depth of Indian coffee, explains Cosma. One can look forward to tasting chocolate by Mason & Co, Bon Fiction, Pascati, KOKO Pods and others.
It’s the series of workshops that you must try and attend because hey, how can you not want to know about pairing cheese with chocolate or what cacao juice is all about. Some of the sessions include a talk on the health benefits of cacao by Sarah Edwards of Copper & Cloves, the science behind bean-to-bar by Devansh Ashar by Pascati, regenerative farming and cacao cultivation by Partha Varanashi of Varanashi Farms, etc. Most of the workshops and talks will give you quite a bit of insight into the art and science of craft chocolate, and all you need to bring is your love for the bean.
The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival will take place at Bangalore International Center, Indiranagar, on November 12 and 13, 2022 from 11am to 6pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 110 and from Rs 299-499 for workshops and conferences, available on insider.in
Photo: Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival