Sweet taste of success

If you believe chocolates aren't only meant to keep kids quiet, here are some high-end options

Sanjiv Obhrai is very particular when it comes to matters chocolatey. Visit his store "" the Chocolatiers boutique in south Delhi's Chittaranjan Park "" and he meticulously takes you through every variety of chocolate in his catalogue, from a range of truffles to chocolates with fruit bases (strawberries, apricots, prunes, pineapples); from dark chocolates with low sugar content to special-occasion pieces for Halloween (a "bloody" chocolate with red syrup inside) and Raksha Bandhan (a rakhi strap with a chocolate on the band); there's even a baton-shaped creation made to mark General Musharraf's visit!

He doles out advice while you're sampling pieces "" "that one will leave a bitter aftertaste, cover it up by having a sweet fudge next" "" and flinches at the suggestion that chocolates are meant only to keep little children quiet.

His boutique's logo used to be the simplistic "The Ultimate Chocolate Experience". It's now been changed to "Creating a Chocolate Culture", which is what he hopes to achieve.

Obhrai uses mainly Indian ingredients for his chocolates, though some of the fillings are imported; the almonds come in from California, the hazelnuts from Turkey, berries and dried apricots from Afghanistan.

Chocolatiers has stuck to a standard price "" Rs 6 per piece "" but the premium range of chocolates go up to Rs 25-35 a piece, which translates into around Rs 1,500 per kg.

These include chromotherapy, or colour therapy, chocolates for which a consultant provides advice on proportions of colours/powders to be used.

Clearly, Obhrai means business, and he's one of many entrepreneurs who are taking high-end chocolates very seriously. Take Shailesh Poddar and his Belgique Chocolateers, which specialises in making designer chocolates.

As its name would suggest, Belgique manufactures its chocolates from ingredients imported predominantly from Belgium. Poddar started the business in late 2003 and the success of his first few outlets, all in the national capital region, inspired him to start franchisees in other cities like Chennai, Chandigarh and Kolkata.

Belgique's product portfolio includes fancy-sounding chocolates like the Malt Ganache, the Etoile Napolian and the Marble Swirl (each small piece of which takes around 20 minutes to make, because the chocolate has two layers that need to be handcrafted with great care).

But innovation is the name of the game; the company has recently introduced a wedding collection range of designer chocolates with intricate and fancy packaging.

The name of the bride and groom can be printed on each praline of chocolate, with a personalised invite.

Customisation is crucial to the success of the business; when a client wanted to gift something to his grandmother recently, a treasure box made of chocolate was fashioned and filled with smaller pieces in different flavours.

While Belgique's truffles and nutty chocolates are priced at Rs 100 per 100 gm, its premium range comes for Rs 130 per 100 gm. The company also intends to increase its product line-up by adding other chocolate-based products like cookies, brownies and cup cakes to its menu.

International brands are increasingly finding it worthwhile to start India operations. Take Patchi, a Lebanese chocolate manufacturer, which has an outlet at Mumbai's Crossroads Mall.

The company retails both assorted chocolates made of milk and dark chocolates as well as special chocolates. The classic variety includes chocolates like the Marquise, which is dark chocolate stuffed with gianduja, almond and hazelnut pieces; the Croquet "" milk chocolate filled with chocolate paste, crisped rice and nuts; and the Pave Pistache, which is milk chocolate stuffed with pistachio croquant.

The deluxe variety, on the other hand, includes variants like Delice (milk chocolate stuffed with nougat, hazelnut croquant and crisped rice) and Domino (milk chocolate stuffed with praline and slices of almond)Everything is imported from Lebonon and the prices are in the range Rs 1,800 for a kg.

Then there's the old-time Fantasie chocolates, which now has 12 stores in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune. Owner Zeba Kohli has used innovative promotional campaigns like a "chocolate evening" where a chocolate theme pervaded everything from decor to invitation cards.

Fantasie's key attractions include 150 gm of assorted chocolates with nut centres, available for Rs 115, and 480 gm of rich, creamy centres of milk and dark pralines for Rs 365.

(Additional reporting by Aparna Krishnakumar)