Chocoholics and tourists who frequent the French town of Puducherry will always stop by at Choco-la on Mission Street. The chocolate boutique has been in the news for a while now, thanks to frequent innovations in chocolate making by its owner Srinath Balachandran. The hotel management graduate who grew up in Puducherry first got a taste of chocolate making when he took a year off to travel to New Caledonia, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia. It was there he got an opportunity to observe the art from close quarters. Balachandran knew that he had to study the market further. He researched ways to source raw material, packaging material and learn temperature control methods to make the chocolates. “This period was tough and I learned from my mistakes,” he says.
Choco-la didn’t happen immediately. The research on chocolate making was followed by an offer to start a boulangerie and patisserie with two French expats. As part of the new project, he underwent further training on chocolate making in the north east of France. “I returned in 2006 and got my first project rolling, Baker Street, specialising in bread, pastries and desserts. Soon after, he realised that chocolates are his true calling, so he sold his shares from Baker Street and got started with Choco-la in August 2009.
On offer are cakes, tarts, pastries, miniature mousses, truffles and a classic range of chocolates. Over 20 varieties of chocolates are sourced from Belgium like single-origin chocolates from Madagascar and Ghana, honey flavoured coverture chocolate callets, pure cocoa nibs and truffle shells to name a few. A popular product at the store is the 54º celsicus hot chocolate, a trademark product. “The hot chocolate is made of low calorie milk and instead of sugar cubes we serve chocolate cubes filled with cocoa flakes. We give a chocolate spoon to customers to stir the same and make it more chocolate,” offers Balachandran. Other best sellers include the moksha (mousse pastry), chocolate pakoras (which are crunchy and oil-free) and their newest launch—chocolate pizzas. “People come from far away places for our hot chocolate and purely dark mousse. We will soon be launching the spice collection of chocolates made with red chilli, cardamom, clove and honey, cinnamon, apart from a Mexican hot chocolate drink,” Balachandran adds.
What makes Choco-La different from the rest? The answer lies in their constant innovation. Ever imagined a shop’s ceiling holding over 600 miniature butterflies made using edible chocolate and stuck using white chocolate paste? Choco-la created this piece of art titled ‘The Butterfly Pink’ at their outlet last year. Balachandran explains that stucking over 600 chocolate miniature butterflies to the cieling was no easy task. “We had to keep all of it stuck to the cieling using a high quality chocolate paste. The temperature was maintained at 21 degrees through night and day for about 60 days to prevent it from falling,” he explains. They recently created an eight fooot long chocolate train using solid blocks of milk, white and dark chocolate. Choco-La made a history of sorts when it made a six and a half foot Statue of Liberty from 650 kg of chocolate. It was kept on display for over two months, it is said to be the first of its kind in the country and fifth in the world.
Balachandran mentions that his dream is to make world-class Indian chocolates How does Choco-La competes with well established brands? Balachandran is quick to make a distinction between artisanal chocolate like his and industrial brands . “Until recently, most of the industrial chocolate brands in India would not use pure cocoa butter due to temperature and cost factor,” he explains, adding that a recent trend has been a rise in the popularity of artisanal brands.