The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival

Although chocolate has always been a symbol of joy, richness and good times, there are many scientific techniques involved in the making of quality craft chocolate. While most of us give ourselves a chocolate-y treat every now and then, few of us know are aware of the organic process of chocolate-making and what it takes to make an artisanal chocolate bar. 

If you want to dig into some of India’s most remarkable craft chocolate and also learn more about the journey of cacao from being a humble bean to a gourmet dessert, then ‘The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival’ is just for you. A collective project of the craft chocolate community, this is India’s first and biggest craft chocolate festival and will witness some of the finest craft chocolate makers, cacao farmers, industry professionals, chocolatiers and enthusiasts all under one roof over two days. 

The event will feature top-notch names from the world of chocolate such as Mason & Co, Bon Fiction, KOKO Pods and many more. Additionally, guests can also savour some of the best chocolates in the country and sample an array of interesting dishes revolving around chocolate by well-known food brands such as Araku Coffee, Ulo Ice Cream, Copper & Cloves etc.

To make it all the more engaging, there will also be a series of talks on chocolate like exploring Indian cacao; workshops like pairing cheese with chocolate, getting to taste fresh cacao and buy cacao juice and even a music-related event that involves chocolate.

The story behind 

‘The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival’ is the brainchild of Patricia Cosma, a bean-to-bar chocolate consultant and connoisseur from Romania and Ketaki Churi, a chocolatier, chocolate maker and product developer from Mumbai. 

India has huge potential when it comes to chocolate, probably even more than Europe, believes Patricia who started her journey into the world of chocolate in 2016. As she went on to taste chocolates from around the world and explore cacao farms across South India, she learnt about the superlative quality of cacao in India. “The Indian cacao has amazing flavour profiles, with warm, earthy, sweet, fruity notes and can be turned into a variety of delicious chocolate goods. We want to make people discover and choose Indian-origin chocolate and understand the European mass-produced chocolate is no superior in any way.”, she says. 

Patricia explored the process of chocolate making, post-harvesting techniques and cacao farming to realize that there is less knowledge on how to process good quality cacao beans in India.  “Farms work with big companies to mass produce the chocolates that you see in the market. They want to produce large quantities for the cheapest price possible. So the beans aren’t processed like how they should be,” she laments. 

What can one expect from the festival? 

With an aim to create more awareness around craft chocolate and build a community where chocolate connoisseurs can connect and work together, the festival will see the crème de la crème from the world of chocolate – be it brands or individual chocolate makers. 

Here is a detailed list of the programmes taking place at ‘The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival’.  

November 12

11 am to 12 pm - ‘Nourish with Cacao: Health Benefits & Uses’ by Sarah Edwards, Copper & Cloves 

12.30 pm- 1.30 pm - The science of Bean to Bar Chocolate making by Devansh  Ashar, Pascati 

2 pm to 3 pm - ‘Regenerative Farming & Cacao Cultivation’ by Partha Varanashi, Varanashi Farms 

4 pm to 5 pm – ‘In Conversation with Mason & Co: Pioneering the Indian Bean-to-Bar Movement’, The Mason & Co Team 

5.30 pm to 6 pm – ‘The Tree-to-Bar Journey of Chocolate’ by Akhil Grandhi, Bon Fiction 

November 13

11 am to 1 pm – ‘Coffee & Cacao: Origins, Beans and Brews’ by Pranoy Thipaiah, Kerehaklu Farm

1.30 pm to 2.30 pm – ‘Exploring Indian Cacao with Mason & Co: Dialogue & Tasting for Chefs, Bakers, Chocolatiers & Restaurateurs’ with Mansi Reddy from Mason & Co

3 pm to 4 pm – ‘Artisanal Cheese & Craft Chocolate: A Pairing Experience’, a workshop by industry expert Patricia Cosma and cheese makers Nari & Kage 

4.30 pm to 5 pm – ‘Bon Fiction's Chocolate Tasting’ with Akhil Grandhi, Bon Fiction

5.30 pm to 6 pm – ‘The Sound of Music Featuring Chocolate’, a performance by musician Sneha Sridhar

In a nutshell 

Head over to this pioneering festival to celebrate the amazing aspects of what is undoubtedly the most-loved flavour and confectionery in the whole world – the good old chocolate! ‘The Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival’ will take place at Bangalore International Center, Indiranagar, on November 12 and 13, from 11 am to 6 pm. 

Dates- 12th and 13th Nov 

Timings: 11.00 am - 7.00 pm

Address: BIC (Bangalore International Center) 7, 4th Main Road, Domlur II Stage, Bengaluru 560 071

Tickets: INR 110 

Tickets for conferences & workshop: from 299 to 499 rupees