Chocolate has evolved for many to be beyond an indulgence but art that unveils the intricacies of cacao beans. The Indian Cacao And Craft Chocolate Festival pays an ode to the humble cacao bean and craft chocolate by bringing together the craft chocolate industry through a two-day festival.
After a successful launch in Bangalore last year, The Indian Cacao And Craft Chocolate Festival will be taking place in Mumbai on February 18-19, 2023. The festival is the brainchild of Patricia Cosma – a bean-to-bar chocolate connoisseur and Ketaki Churi- a chocolatier from Mumbai and will bring together cacao farmers, bean-to-bar chocolate makers, pastry chefs, and chocolatiers from across India.
With a vision to raise awareness around Indian-origin chocolate, the event will bring the farmers and chocolate makers closer to their consumers through exhibitors, workshops and conferences. Craft Chocolate brands such as Mason & Co, Pascati, and Bon Fiction among others and Indian Cacao grower – Varanashi Organic Farm will be present, giving attendees an option to directly connect and interact with the founders and the brand
The two festive days allow chocolate enthusiasts to indulge in the craft chocolate experience through activities that provide an insight into the creation of chocolates, the versatility of Indian cacao bean, chocolate pairing with cheese, a music and chocolate tasting, and an introspective card game session with cacao, each session unveiling the various aspects of Indian-origin chocolate. The workshops and conferences will be conducted by chocolatier and chocolate experts such as Chef Sanjana Patel of La Folie, Manali Khandelwal and Prasanna Gudi of Subko Coffee, and Mansi Reddy of Mason & Co., among others
Speaking passionately about her chocolate journey which commenced in 2016 and culminated in Indian Cacao & Craft Chocolate Festival, Patricia Cosma says, “I discovered India’s huge potential in cacao and craft chocolate five years back, the time I first visited India. A lot of farm visits, connections, and personal chocolate experiments followed. The deeper I got into this exploration the more I felt the need of bringing all these beautiful passionate people together in what we see as the community of craft chocolate in India. Together with them, we want to create a culture around craft chocolate similar to what happened with specialty coffee.”
Ketaki Churi further adds, “One of my personality traits is that I love bringing people together and feel immense gratitude and happiness when I’m around my favourite people while we discuss our similar passions in life. This festival makes it the perfect ground for me to create a community where interests are explored and we truly celebrate Indian cacao and craft chocolate.”
