Children who grew up in post-80s rural Kerala had a curious query—how did the cocoa they pick turn into chocolate. Thanks to her parents, Mia Renny has more tales and memories of chocolate than the daughter of an average cocoa farmer.
This youngster is now taking after her father, Renny Jacob, who had started procuring the bean for Cadbury back in the ’90s.
“After being involved with the production of bean for a while, we realise that we’re more eligible than Europeans to complete the story of chocolate production—provided we have good machinery. Our new brand, Cocoaplanter, aims to be an Indian alternative to high-quality couverture chocolate over foreign brands,” says Mia.
Long evolution
Even though Cocoaplater is new on the shelves, the idea started circa 2000. “While the Indian market was not ready when we first considered the idea in 2004, now there are cafés and patisseries who know the difference in using quality products,” says the architect-turned-product designer of Cocoaplanter.
Realising that it was impossible to ensure quality with minimal equipment, their team visited countries like Switzerland, known for high-quality chocolate products, to assimilate the best production practices.
Focussing more on chefs and bakers, Cocoaplanter currently has two products: Dark Chocolate and Hot Chocolate Mix with buttons. Migrating from the traditional bar concept, their dark chocolate is shaped like a ball and comes in 60, 70 and 80 per cent strength.
“We source from farms that follow organic practices as much as possible and all our products are vegan,” says the 25-year-old, expressing the hope to expand their presence in retail market soon.