Last year just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic started I came back from Europe after completing my Masters in Brand Design & Management specialised in Food & Beverages. During the month of march I discovered both my parents had really high sugar levels which truly concerned me enough. Since the lockdown was already enforced by then it was difficult for me to help them with their sugar cravings while having no access with the outer world, there was no way from where I could find any sugar free or dark chocolates so this made me quite puzzled. Since I used to do thorough research for all my projects and subjects during my college days, I still am extremely inclined towards that practice in whatever I do or think to do even if it is for something as simple as placing an order for a specific product.
This same habit of researching led me to realise after going through several studies that unlike in Europe and elsewhere, it is hard to find any brand in India which produces good organic, preservative & color free chocolates or any type of food product. Right from the big commercial brands till small level brands none offers organic and healthy form of chocolate in India, except a few brands which offer organic chocolates in the form of bars only and are often a little overpriced for frequent consumption. Since in Europe the consumers are now getting very informed and cautious about consuming organic food as much as possible I always dealt with clients who had the same business models where they were willing to promote more organic food habits, so this made me really inclined towards promoting the same in India specially after this COVID-19 pandemic where the entire world realised how important it is to pay closer attention to your health including what you eat.
I also realised that there still is a lot of information gap about several things related to organic eating in India.
All these findings helped to encourage myself to make my own organic homemade chocolates for my parents who literally couldn’t control their sugar cravings especially at night. Initially I had no plans to start any organic chocolate making business, I was purely focusing on making organic chocolates to help my parent’s cravings. Also since my father is a doctor I was always aware since childhood how much the artificial food colorings are harmful for our body which can be found in use in the majority of food places in India especially. That is why I and my family have always been strict about avoiding consumption of artificial colors or flavorings. This whole idea finally led me to try my hands on making my own organic chocolates at home which surprisingly turned out delicious.
Later after a couple of months I finally decided to start producing and promoting organic chocolates with no artificial flavors or colors (Read my next article to know how I bring mild colors and flavors in my chocolates naturally). Like any other business it is definitely a tough journey to start any new venture especially from a non-metropolitan city like Agra, so undoubtedly I won’t lie that it is a struggle also since my products aren't completely mainstream. It will still take time to inform and educate people about how important it is to eat organic and healthier food and how to differentiate between the healthy and unhealthy food products specially in the world where many brands false-claim that their products are fully organic. I could have simply chosen to start selling the non-organic chocolate varieties which would be more attractive because of the colors and would have also helped me incur less cost price and more profit and that would have naturally made my journey as a new venture a little more smoother. But since that was never my idea, I chose to stick to my grounds to bring a change in the eating habits of the people in India and offer my country and my people with healthier chocolate options without compromising with their health.