BakeryBiz, May-Jun, 2021
Vikas Temani, Founder and Business Head of Paul and Mike, artisanal chocolates from Kerala
A Kerala-based Paul And Mike, an artisanal ‘bean to bar’ chocolate brand, has taken Indian chocolates to new heights by winning Silver in the International Chocolate Awards. It has become the first Indian company to win a silver in the International Chocolate Awards (2020-2021 world final) for its ‘64 Percent Dark Sichuan Pepper and Orange Peel Vegan Chocolate’.
We have been experimenting with flavours and this particular variant was targeted at the Chinese market. As Sichuan pepper is widely used in Chinese and South-East Asian cuisine, we thought this variant would be ideal for their palate. The chocolate is vegan. Candied orange peel is used to add texture,” explains Vikas Temani, business head and founder of Paul And Mike.
Paul And Mike also have a wide variety of flavours for the Indian consumer such as Indian Style Thandai, Peppermint Gelato, Sitaphal (custard apple), Jamun (java plum), Alphonso Mango and so on.
“Jaggery, for instance, is sourced from two brothers in Pune who approached us for new options in jaggery. They wanted to know if we could develop a chocolate with jaggery. In the same way, we decided that we would use Indian fruits such as jamun, mango, custard apple, and rasbhari (golden berry) instead of blueberry, cranberry and so on. In fact, for many Indian customers, these were the first variants of Paul and Mike that they bought. Thandai, which is popular in North India, reached the market during Holi last year and was a huge success,” informed Vikas.
