The growing demand for customised chocolates in India is a major trend many chocolate companies, whether large or small, are cashing upon By Archana Sharma
Many chocolate companies, whether new or experienced and/or local or international, are gathering the necessary expertise to offer a varying range of customised chocolates to a niche segment of customers who prefer exclusivity and luxury in chocolates. “Customisation of chocolates is a niche market segment where customers require high end and good quality chocolates that are completely customised in accordance with their tastes and preferences,” states Saurabh Mittal, founder of ChocoCraft, which with only a year’s experience, has established a pan India presence and has served over 100 corporate companies like TATA, Birla, Mahindra Group to name a few.
According to a KPMG report, the per-capita consumption in India is low – 0.7kg – yet the market is booming with sales expected to reach US$ 2.3billion by 2017. This seems to be beneficial for the chocolate market in India, especially for the customised chocolate market segment. “The market demand for customised chocolates is rising and there is huge potential as chocolate is a product that is well liked by every age group and we have a tremendous growth in the demand for chocolates being used for gifting purposes,” opines Priyanka Gupta, owner, Chocolics.
Festive demand
Historically, Indians have favoured traditional sweets during festive occasions – but many consumers are attracted by chocolate’s longevity, packaging and hygiene. Because of this trend, chocolate companies are looking at innovative ways to customise chocolates thereby raising the bar further. “Every year, the size of India’s corporate gift market grows. Companies go out of the way to attract both, their employees and business associates and to capitalise on this lucrative business opportunity, gift manufacturers introduce innovative gifts in the market,” mentions Gupta.
Recent years have seen many chocolate innovations, for instance, carvings in the form of the Taj Mahal, champagne bottles, dancing couples, Easter eggs, Valentine sculptures, Santa and the sleigh to name a few. Also specific Indian snacks like chocolate paans and samosas have been created by many. There have been other dishes as well like chocolate brochettes, chocolate sushi, Italian dishes like pasta with groundnuts, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese topped with grated dark chocolate, chocolate in ravioli filling and chunky vegetable chilly with dark chocolate sauce, chocolate pizzas topped with almonds, walnuts and assorted candies, thin-crust pizzas in milk, white and dark chocolate, fruit pizza with white chocolate, chocolate cookie pizza and chocolate pizza with peppermint and candy canes, combined chocolate with spicy jalapenos, chilli powder and chipotles, cinnamon, mixing cloves and star anise in melting chocolate and adding some tamarind juice.
Taking the art of customising chocolates a step further, Chennai based Subhatra Priyadarshini, owner, Choc Of The Town, adds another personal touch to the product through handwritten messages and hand-drawn portraits for various occasions. They offer portraits of people, personalised text on chocolates, etc to this market segment. Even Mittal, believing in being ahead of competition has turned chocolate bars into wedding cards. “We can also create individual wedding invitations for a guest list of up to 200 people, adding each person’s name to the chocolate bar just like paper invitations,” he added.
“We have created not just logos but for clients like Blackberry we even textured the chocolate surface the same way like their phone,” stated Gupta. For New Year and Christmas, she is innovating with new themes like rum and raisin filled liquor chocolates.