Classic, roasted almonds and coffee form the luxury lineup of camel milk chocolates creates a whole new ‘dessert from the desert’ reality. Founded by Hitesh Rathi and Shrey Kumar of Aadvik Foods, their offering is a niche luxe pick. “Chocolates form a popular gift option; now more so with no occasion needed for buying chocolates. The time was perfect to get a bite of the market with our camel milk chocolates,” says Rathi. “Camel milk, and powder are our core products, contributing to 70-80 per cent of the business,” he adds.
Soft and haute, the camel chocolate bars come as a natural, toe-curling sweet treat as the market in the country opens up to the nouveau taste. “Our buyers vary in age and profile. We have parents who buy camel milk chocolates for their autistic children, people who are diabetic, those who are lactose intolerant and others desirous of increasing their height. The taste simply grows on you,” he says.
The camel milk chocolates come with a shelf life of seven months when stored in a cool, dry storage area. “Our chocolates come bereft of additives or preservatives and are crafted using only pure and natural ingredients— the cocoa comes from Idukki, Kerala; camel milk from Rajasthan and Gujarat; and khandsari sugar from the organic farms of Uttar Pradesh. We add no emulsifiers or oils,” says Kumar. Clearly, the numbers are clambering with 40 per cent of the revenue coming in from exports to the US, Canada and the Middle East.
Quick to capitalise on the resounding response to their camel milk bars, the duo has forayed into the goat milk and donkey milk domains too. “Goat milk is striking similar to camel milk and since our production processes are based in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the catchment area is the same for sourcing. People are more aware of goat milk than camel milk,” explains Rathi.
Donkey milk is treasured for both its low availability and unique taste and the flavour is slowly gaining ground with the superfood tag spinning around it. “Our aim is to generate a sustainable livelihood for the camel and goat herders in India. Towards this, we have been sourcing around 50-60k litres of camel milk and 8k-10k litres of goat milk on a monthly basis,” he adds.
The business has grown 14-fold since the inception of Aadvik in 2016. Hailing from Bikaner, Rathi has also earned trust among consumers of camel milk. His close-knit relationship with the city has helped in streamlining operations and procurement, with his deep understanding of the culture-building rapport with the herd raising community of Rajasthan.
What’s next? “Camel milk soaps, as the milk has natural skin brightening properties. We’ve pioneered freeze-drying of milk in the country. Up next are delicious goat milk chocolates and camel milk cheese,” says Rathi.