The chocolate bird

Nainitalrsquos quieter cousin Sattal is a piece of paradise that still preserves every romantic notion of the Himalayan foothills from scarlet minivets to pink kachnar flowers What you wouldnrsquot quite expect from the idyllic village of Suriyagaon is Agrade artisanal chocolate But itrsquos these mountains that inspired a couple from Mumbai create beautiful chocolate in the first place Sai Nair and Prachi Ojha both 33 are the team behind CochoaCocoa nibs separated from huskldquoIn 2018 a year after our wedding we were on our annual mountain vacation Sai mostly kept to himself for a couple of days lost in thought On day three he told me he had decided to learn how to make chocolaterdquo Ojha recalls on the first sunny day after a spate of hailstorms and thundershowers in Suriyagaon last month From that highaltitude emerged an equally lofty ambition ldquoOur dream is to create the best chocolate in the world here in Indiardquo says Nair with a Willy Wonka glint in his eyesTheir chocolate lsquofactoryrsquo is a spartan space dominated by two wet grinders usually associated with idlimaking in south Indian households Roald Dahl would object to the minimalism But Nair is an engineer by training while Ojha is a practising lawyer and theirs is a grownup dream accompanied by evolved palates and worldviews ldquoAbsolutely anyone can get a small grinder some cocoa beans and sugar and make chocolate at home Itrsquos that easyrdquo Nair offers ldquoThe flavour is in the details The best way to do it as I learnt is after apprenticing with a professional chocolatierrdquoChocolate that looks like itrsquos from MarsAnd so their brand started life in Mumbairsquos central suburbs named after a beautiful though elusive Himalayan bird ldquoThe gradual degeneration of the mountains and nature as a whole made us think hard about the choices we made as a business Three months ago we moved to the hills whose purity we try to distil into our chocolaterdquo Ojha explainsThis writer has by now tasted a few of Cochoarsquos offerings noticing the difference between the Kerala bar and the Tamil one and is equally surprised and thrilled by the espresso bar Although first doubtful about the coconut pepper combination we thought the flavours were subtle and compatible Sinking into a cocoa trance wondering about the provenance of these creations that can trigger powerful emotions we are curious about the makingKesariyaldquoWe have three sourcing requirements the ingredients need to be grown organically have exceptional flavour and adhere to humane and conscious processes Every time we have to source a major ingredient we look for ethical farmers who truly care about their produce and how it is grownrdquo Nair shares Fermentation forms one of the most important processes in making chocolate Their dark chocolates gain the most from this process since they are made using just two ingredients cocoa beans and raw sugar ldquoJust like fine wine each one is different yet absolutely amazingrdquorsquo he promisesThe times we live in throw more challenges than opportunities and Cochoa has had its fair share of rough ride too ldquoApart from the operational challenges of any new business our value system often presents us with roadblocks For instance we needed clean packaging solutions and devised an ice pack from natural materials to regulate the temperature of the chocolates in transit The other major challenge has obviously been the pandemic But we know we are not alone in thisrdquo The duo locks up the chocolate factory where the two grinders are left to work on a dark and white chocolate each Itrsquos a bleak time for humanity but we walk out into the sunlight with hope and a memory of innocence Through all the grief and loss what still remains is the primal impulse to create and share something beautiful with the worldRoseBefore leaving we ask the chocolatiers what keeps them going ldquoI was always sceptical about Rosa our rose bar although Prachi really believed in itrdquo Nair remembers ldquoAnd then we received a call from a client who said they had a Rataouille moment with the bar They were transported back to their childhood sipping on cold rose milk on a scorching day in Rajasthan That was magic These are the moments that we create forrdquoThe chocolate is available for anywhere between Rs 249 to Rs 349To Order httpscochoain