Cocoashala, India’s premier startup dedicated to the world of cacao and bean to bar chocolates, is set to make history in Chennai this March! Teaming up with IICCT UK, Cocoashala, Chennai led by L Nitin Chordia, India’s first certified chocolate taster, presents an unparalleled opportunity for chocolate enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. Offering extensive Bean to Bar Chocolate Making, Chocolate Taster, and Cacao Evaluation courses, this 12-16 day immersive experience is a rare chance to learn alongside global experts.
With a mission to double the income of Indian cacao farmers, formalize micro food processing enterprises, and produce international-class chocolates using Indian cacao, Cocoashala, in the long term, aims to reduce reliance on cacao imports and boost the Indian cacao and chocolate economy. The courses cover everything in cacao and chocolate sensory, making participants Certified Bean to Bar chocolate makers, Chocolate Tasters, or Cacao Evaluators.
Join Cocoa Farmers, Chocolatiers, Bakers, Researchers, and more in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to propel India onto the global Bean to Bar chocolate map. Limited seats available.
• Bean to Bar Chocolate Making Certification – 27-29 February 2024, Chennai
• Level 1 – Chocolate Taster Certification – 2 March 2024, Chennai
• Level 2 – Chocolate Taster Certification – 3-5 March 2024, Chennai
• Level 3 – Chocolate Taster Certification – Field trips to 2 cacao Fermenters, High Density & Regular Cacao farms, Bean to Bar chocolate making units, across South India & Culinary Experiences like Honey Appreciation, Filter Coffee Appreciation, Bio Dynamically Grown Tea Appreciation, Ice Cream Appreciation, Appreciation of Indian Sweet from 20+ states, Tamil, Kerala & Andhra meals on banana leaf & Seven Course Chocolate indulgence experience/meal – 7-12 March 2024, Chennai
• Cacao Evaluation Certification – 15-18 March 2024, Chennai
Further details, schedule etc to this exciting event is available on this link: https://cocoatrait.com/product-category/shop/events/
Most of the participants of our previous programs have gone ahead and started bean to bar businesses. At Cocoashala, we offer holistic solutions from the Farm to the Fork says L Nitin Chordia, Co-Founder, Cocoashala. We offer consulting services and solutions starting from the cacao farm where we offer cacao post harvesting consulting/solutions to farmers followed by bean to bar chocolate making training for farmers and entrepreneurs/startups followed by the Chocolate tasters certification courses (specifically in collaboration with IICCT, UK).
Below are mentions of some contributions which we have made and our friends from the industry have generously chosen to say about us.
“Training and consultation from Nitin at Cocoashala was instrumental in kickstarting Paul And Mike in quick time. In addition to chocolate making, his insights about the Indian consumer were critical to create the right product portfolio” – Vikas Temani, Business Head, Paul & Mike Craft Chocolates, India.
Kumar and Palanisamy of Soklet took samples to Chennai-based L Nitin Chordia, India’s first certified chocolate taster, and asked him to give them a try. “If he wasn’t going to like them, both the idea and the chocolate were going to be binned,” said Palanisamy. But Chordia liked what they’d done and that led to birth of bean-to-bar brand Soklet. – Palanisamy, Co-Founder, Soklet Tree to Bar Chocolate, India.
“In the first workshop on chocolate making, I learnt about the process followed by chocolatiers. The second workshop was a step forward to getting the fermentation right, identifying the right flavours in the cacao, etc.,” – Akhil Grandhi, Founder, Bon Fiction Bean to Bar Chocolates, India.
Looking back, team Cocoashala are immensely proud of the way things have panned out for India and us. “We believe that Indian cacao and chocolates have a lot more to offer and a lot more still needs to be explored.” claims L Nitin Chordia. “This festive season saw some modern format store shelves stock more bean to bar chocolates than mass produced Indian and imported chocolate brands combined. This has happened for the 1st time ever!” says L Nitin Chordia. “Our aim is to train, incubate and establish and be a partner of choice for over 1000 bean to bar chocolate brands in India in the next 4-5 years.” commits Poonam Chordia. As they say, in India, we have only just begun and things look very exciting! says L Nitin Chordia.
Our courses offered are available here: https://cocoatrait.com/product-category/shop/events/
About Cocoashala, L Nitin Chordia & Poonam Chordia
L Nitin Chordia is India’s 1st certified cacao and chocolate taster. Nitin works with an aim to transform India cacao and chocolate, doubling Indian cacao farmer income and placing India firmly in the world cacao map. Nitin has represented Indian cacao at various international forums. Nitin is the 1st Indian Judge at the International Chocolate Awards, London. Nitin is the 1st Non-founder teacher at the IICCT, London.
Nitin operates Cocoatrait with an aim to promote fine chocolate consumption. Cocoashala is a part of Cocoatrait which is an initiative to promote knowledge, production and consumption of fine chocolates in India. Cocoashala also aim to invest in research, development and enhancement of fine chocolate techniques, processes and recipes’.
Poonam Chordia is India’s 1st certified female chocolate taster and co-founder of Cocoashala and Kocoatrait Sustainable Chocolates. she has her heart and soul in bean to bar chocolate making and contributes in all aspects of incubation, new product development and training.
