Anuttama in Bengaluru spotlights chocolates with milk, spices, and jaggery
Share
If the COVID-19 pandemic gave the culinary world one thing, it would have to be the rise of farmers turning entrepreneurs. Over the past few years, many of these individuals have not only introduced a range of preservative-free products, but also experimented and innovated in the field. One such product has been chocolate, with vegan, gluten-free variants now commonplace among small-batch makers. Swathi Kallegundi and her husband Balasubrahmanya PS — of artisanal chocolate brand Anuttama — share a similar story.
At their ancestral farm in Bettampady, in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, areca, cacao, banana, pepper, and other crops have been cultivated for decades. When the market was closed during the lockdowns, the duo (both software engineers) decided to experiment with making chocolate at home.
“Coming from an agricultural background and having grown cacao for decades, the idea of making chocolate was unexpected,” says Swathi. “But, we fell in love with the chocolate we created and shared it with friends and relatives, who appreciated it. This inspired us to experiment further.”
As they used jaggery at home, the couple decided to replace sugar with jaggery in their recipes. “We were happy with the results and decided to turn this into a small business. We took an online course on bean-to-bar chocolates and officially started Anuttama in August 2020 with just a two-kilogram grinder.”
Today, they use cocoa beans from their farm and neighbouring ones too. “We purchase wet beans from our neighbouring farmers. We ferment and dry the beans to ensure we have control over the quality,” explains Swati who also employs local women in the manufacturing process. This process comprises fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, tempering, moulding, and packaging.
Anuttama (meaning, superior) launched with a dark chocolate (with 70% percent cocoa) sweetened with jaggery, and another variant using khandsari sugar. “We cater to diverse preferences by sweetening some chocolates with alternatives like coconut sugar, and dates. A majority of our chocolate offerings are dairy-free,” she says.
Now, the catalogue boasts of unique flavours such as Bella Tharai (with coconut milk), and Spicy Tang. “India known for its spices and creating chocolates infused with spices have been complex to crack. Infact, many of them did not pass through their initial trials,” she explains, adding that Spicy Tang (infused with ginger and pepper) won them the ICA Asia Pacific bronze award in 2021.
New launches include Kheer Burst and Absolute Coffee. The former, says Swati, blends in flavours of the traditional payasam “made with the sweetness of jaggery, dates, the nuttiness of coconut, cardamom and crunchy cashew nuts”. Now, the team is focussed on creating hot chocolate varieties and coated chocolates with nuts and fruits.
At their ancestral farm in Bettampady, in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, areca, cacao, banana, pepper, and other crops have been cultivated for decades. When the market was closed during the lockdowns, the duo (both software engineers) decided to experiment with making chocolate at home.
“Coming from an agricultural background and having grown cacao for decades, the idea of making chocolate was unexpected,” says Swathi. “But, we fell in love with the chocolate we created and shared it with friends and relatives, who appreciated it. This inspired us to experiment further.”
As they used jaggery at home, the couple decided to replace sugar with jaggery in their recipes. “We were happy with the results and decided to turn this into a small business. We took an online course on bean-to-bar chocolates and officially started Anuttama in August 2020 with just a two-kilogram grinder.”
Today, they use cocoa beans from their farm and neighbouring ones too. “We purchase wet beans from our neighbouring farmers. We ferment and dry the beans to ensure we have control over the quality,” explains Swati who also employs local women in the manufacturing process. This process comprises fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, tempering, moulding, and packaging.
Anuttama (meaning, superior) launched with a dark chocolate (with 70% percent cocoa) sweetened with jaggery, and another variant using khandsari sugar. “We cater to diverse preferences by sweetening some chocolates with alternatives like coconut sugar, and dates. A majority of our chocolate offerings are dairy-free,” she says.
Now, the catalogue boasts of unique flavours such as Bella Tharai (with coconut milk), and Spicy Tang. “India known for its spices and creating chocolates infused with spices have been complex to crack. Infact, many of them did not pass through their initial trials,” she explains, adding that Spicy Tang (infused with ginger and pepper) won them the ICA Asia Pacific bronze award in 2021.
New launches include Kheer Burst and Absolute Coffee. The former, says Swati, blends in flavours of the traditional payasam “made with the sweetness of jaggery, dates, the nuttiness of coconut, cardamom and crunchy cashew nuts”. Now, the team is focussed on creating hot chocolate varieties and coated chocolates with nuts and fruits.