Artisanal chocolates, signature bon bons, chocolate baklava pastry and more

This festive season, you can choose from gift hampers that celebrate the flora and spices of the Nilgiris, Indian flavours, and millet ladoo

Flavours, from the hills

Fazloor Rahman, managing director of M&N Chocolates based in Udhagamandalam, says his family started making chocolates in 1942. They ran a family store called Sheikh, which the British frequented to buy cigars. Eventually, some butlers trained members of the family in making chocolates for the British, and thus began a journey in chocolate making. “We have made as many as 180 varieties of dark chocolates in fruity, nutty and vegetable based flavours setting a record,” says Fazloor adding that they make chocolates without using preservatives at their unit in Thalakundah, the Nilgiris.

While they source cocoa beans from farms in Pollachi, Kerala and Gudalur, the chocolate-maker adopts a bean to bar approach. He says homemade chocolates from the Nilgiris have a unique flavour as they do not need to be refrigerated to harden and set. To raise awareness on the quality chocolates in the Nilgiris, Fazloor opened a chocolate museum in Udhagamandalam in 2013.

His curated festive gift hamper comes with dark chocolates (truffles, bars and bonbons), floral teas, Nilgiri honey, assorted packs of pepper, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, and coffee from Gudalur.

As an ode to native rive varieties of South India, dark chocholate bars come in flavours as varied as black kavuni rice, seeraga samba, ponni, and bamboo rice. “We use five to six ingredients in a bar, especially cocoa, cocoa butter, palm jaggery or cane sugar (no white sugar), and rice flavouring in dry powder form. This time, we wanted our hamper to truly reflect and celebrate what the Nilgiris is known for.”

They deliver pan-India within three working days. Prices range from ₹200 to ₹5,000. Visit mnchocolates.com or WhatsApp 9944151532

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