How to craft natural, single origin, artisanal chocolates

It is often said that when the times get tough, people become innovative and entrepreneurial. Case in point is the period of the Covid-19 pandemic that unleashed a flurry of entrepreneurial activity by individuals all over the world. A bevy of businesses fuelled by imagination, creativity and passion mushroomed during this time with many of them growing from strength to strength. Anuttama, an artisanal, farm to bean chocolate brand started by husband wife duo Balasubrahmanya P S and Swathi Kallegundi is one such example.

Experimental and exploratory journey

Based in Bettampady, about 65 km from the coastal city of Mangalore in Karnataka, India, Anuttama, which translates into “the best of the best” in Kannada, had its beginnings in May 2020. “My family has always been into agriculture and we have been growing cacao as an intermediary crop since decades. Cacao needs shade and is often grown along with the main crops of the region, which are areca, coconut, pepper, banana etc. It is a common practice in coastal Karnataka,” says Balasubrahmanya. The cacao grown by his family, just like many others in the region, was always sold to the local cooperative which is an organisation that has built a successful community of growers and farmers. “Though we have an agricultural background, my wife and me were quite busy with our IT jobs in Bangalore. We moved back to our native town during the pandemic. During the lockdown we were forced to retain the harvested cacao and dry it ourselves. While the intention was to sell it to the cooperative at a later point, it suddenly occurred to us that we could try our hands at chocolate making. So, we just made a small batch for ourselves, which was quickly consumed at home,” adds the 37-year-old IT professional.

Extensive study, research and a course in chocolate-making soon followed after which the couple started experimenting with very small batches of chocolates that were initially consumed by the extended family. As the word spread through social media, people started asking for samples and the same was distributed to acquaintances and friends. Buoyed by the positive response received from them, Balasubrahmanya and his wife decided to turn this venture of crafting artisanal chocolates into a business and Anuttama was formally launched in August 2020.

Farm-to-Bar approach rooted in sustainability

From using cacao grown in the vicinity to harvesting and manufacture, everything about Anuttama screams sustainability. It is one of the few organisations that use the farm-to-bar approach in that they cultivate the cacao themselves and control every aspect of the manufacturing process; right from picking the pods to packaging the bar. The fact that they are committed to use locally grown cacao thereby supporting and engaging the native farmer community is a lesson in sustainable utilisation of resources and a significant reduction of carbon footprint. Fermentation of the beans is also done in wooden boxes made from local wood, which are covered with banana leaves. Even the unmissable bilingual logo, which has ‘Anuttama’ written in English as well as Kannada is a testament to their ‘vocal for local’ philosophy. It sure adds the exclusive vernacular touch to the end product! “We always had the vision to do something for the local community in the field of agriculture and hence we ensure that we make the best use of our local resources,” adds Balasubrahmanya.