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Corporate Gifts for Employees. Build employee culture strategically, Enhance Employee Engagement/Experience (EX) & Employer Branding

Virtual Engagement Session

Build employee culture strategically, Enhance Employee Engagement/Experience (EX) & Employer Branding using Corporate Gifts for Employees. This is perhaps a recurring (monthly!) requirement that corporates have to keep addressing. Kocoatrait has the privilege and pleasure in presenting to you a planet friendly (a.k.a sustainable) and inclusive Employee Experience enhancement, engagement, communication, culture building and corporate gifting format for the 1st time in India! Pair your monthly/quarterly/annual gifting with a virtual, fun, learning lead, engaging & innovative “live” 60 minute fine chocolate appreciation session with India’s 1st certified chocolate taster and chocolate investment advisor, L Nitin Chordia. The aim of this session is to demonstrate sustainability using healthy-dark, sustainable, inclusive, plastic/paper free chocolates at the cost of a team lunch/outing! This format can be delivered in Offline (in person), Online (Virtual) & Hybrid model.

Who is this relevant for in an organisation?

This format is relevant and directly applicable to the heads/managers of the following roles in an organisation: Human Resources, People & Culture, Employee Experience (EX), Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion, Communication and Marketing Managers can ensure Employee Experience improvement and Engagement.

How much does this activity cost?

The cost of this activity equates to the cost of a team lunch per person! Quite Literally! and sometimes even lower!

Please click here to access the presentation on this innovative engagement format and how this can be useful for your organisation.

Below are a few testimonials from our clients.

We reached out to Nitin for a team session on appreciating Indian bean to bar chocolates. The team enjoyed the bonding over the session and learnt a lot about making, eating and enjoying chocolates. Nitin engaged with many of them and answered all their queries which made it very interactive. Whilst initially a two hour session, we went on for nearly three hours. All thanks to Nitin and his wonderful chocolates!

– Yash J Ashar, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Mumbai

Experiencing the delight of chocolate tasting came true with the event hosted by Nitin! This was an intimate event with just a few team members so we felt the individual attention and Nitin was super calm and answered all our questions. I was personally surprised to learn about some lesser known facts of chocolate manufacturing, special insights of zero waste packaging, even about the fermentation process in detail! Loved the session and have already recommended to my peer teams, who I believe have already signed up for future sessions! (Link: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6876563595862396928/)

– Ramya Sampath, Head of India Partner Engineering team, Linkedin India.

Given the continued WFH, we were looking for a fun and informative virtual session that would help the team interact. Some of the other options we considered were stand up comedy or concert, but we felt with Nitin’s knowledge and credentials and the excellent Kocoatrait chocolates, a chocolate appreciation session would be more interactive and engaging. We were not disappointed – the session was excellent and everyone really enjoyed it. We would highly recommend it.

– Prashant Gupta, Partner and National Practise Head (Capital Markets), Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, New Delhi

Eco-friendly gifts tug at people’s heart. They help us forge an emotional bond & pass the message of environment conservation

– Anand Rajendran, HR Director, Rage Communication, Chennai

Thank you for hosting a chocolate tasting event for us . The event was very well received by our  team and they enjoyed it wholeheartedly. Thanks for taking care of the logistics and making sure every employee gets a personalized message and the chocolates kits right on time. The chocolate tasted amazing and  the virtual event was great. Thanks for all that you did for making our team feel special and teaching them how to eat and taste chocolates.

– Malini Satish Kumar – ABP, Google India

For Team Engagement and Building with chocolates, we ship out a box of handpicked Single Origin Planet Friendly, Sustainable and Zero Waste chocolate to the associates based on addresses shared in a specific spreadsheet format by the client (in advance) and using bluedart or similar overnight service. The box is completely sustainable, plastic free and planet friendly. The fine flavoured chocolates are of indian origin and reassures the participants that in India we can be atmanirbhar with our chocolates. The box is delivered with the client’s logo on the top of the box printed on the bluedart AWB indicating & clearly indicating that the company has sent it. Upon receipt of the box, the recipient stores the chocolates based on instructions clearly given in the box. On a scheduled date/time, the associates log on to a virtual platform and then L Nitin Chordia, (India’s 1st certified chocolate taster) takes them through a 90 minute guided chocolate appreciation sesion where we taste 4 or 5 different and unique chocolate bars. The associates can join in with their families if so desired by the company! During the session, we ensure that almost all the participants get to participate/engage in some conversation. We start with a quick rapid fire introduction of each participant and where they take 20-30 seconds each to share any memory about chocolate. Post this, Nitin takes them through a 20 minute walk through of pictures and videos of how chocolate is actually made. After this, there is an introduction to the chocolate tasting guide and participants taste chocolates based on the instructions. If so desired, one chocolate can be without a name and participants guess the same. Nitin engages with a few randomly selected team members for each chocolate and requests for their reaction. This takes up untill 90 minutes and we wind the session with a Q&A. All this at the cost per person of a team lunch! The session needs 10 working days of advance notice for logistics planning.

The benefits of engaged employees for a business is well known. This is a good link to visit to further read the benefits https://blog.vantagecircle.com/benefits-of-employee-engagement/ From an HR perspective, Corporate Engagement and Gifts for Employees is a very critical area of execution and the need and benefits of virtual employee engagement has been captured very well in this blog post. https://blog.vantagecircle.com/virtual-employee-engagement-ideas/ Some of our corporate clients are listed below:

Our Client List


The video below describes the journey of Kocoatrait chocolates from bean to bar!

The Journey fo Planet Friendly Kocoatrait chocolates from Bean to Bar

You could also choose to include a zero waste sustainable and planet friendly chocolate gift box (options available in reusable TIN and Plam leaf). This box lends itself very well to the overall virtual chocolate appreciation experience. The box is available to view at: https://cocoatrait.com/product/zero-waste-gift/

Some relevant articles have been published on Employee Experience (EX) and the links are: https://www.crn.in/news/employee-experience-the-future-of-work-post-pandemic/ https://www.peoplematters.in/article/employee-engagement/employee-experience-the-secret-weapon-in-the-talent-war-30960 and https://www.mercer.co.in/our-thinking/career/time-to-take-employee-experience-to-next-level.html https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/employee-experience-post-covid/ https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/insights/employee-experience https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/10-ways-to-improve-employee-experience/ https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-experience/

Disclaimer: We are not associated to any of the above firms listed in the links.

About L Nitin Chordia, Cocoatrait & Cocoashala:L Nitin Chordia is India’s 1st certified chocolate taster. A Sparring Partner and a Retail Business Consultant with over 15 years of experience in Indian FMCG and Retail Domain. His current consulting focus is Sustainability, Zero Waste & Circular Economy. Nitin is India’s 1st Certified Chocolate Taster, Judge at the International Chocolate Awards, London and a Cocoa Post Harvest Professional. Nitin is the 1st external faculty at the Institute of fine chocolate tasting, UK. Nitin operates Cocoatrait with an intention to promote the production and consumption of fine chocolates in India. Nitin along with his wife Poonam (a trained chocolatier and a Level 2 certified chocolate taster) operates Cocoashala, a chocolate school which delivers the basic & advanced levels of Bean to Bar chocolate making training and beyond. Kocoatrait is the world & India’s 1st Sustainable Luxury Zero Waste, Single Origin, Organic and Planet Friendly Bean to Bar Chocolate contributing to the circular economy. Kocoatrait was conceived with an aim to enable aspiring Indian citizens to adopt a zero waste lifestyle and follow minimalistic living. 


Contact: L Nitin Chordia +919600064846; nitin@cocoatrait.com

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Bake Better: Chocolate couverture made with Desi Khandsari a.k.a Muscovado Sugar

Why should you be baking with Khandsari Sugar and care if the baking chocolate you are using is sweetened with it? Read on..

Muscovado, also khandsari and khand, is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour made from thickened sugar cane syrup. It is neither bleached nor contains harmful chemicals and additives and hence considered a less processed substitute to white sugar. It is dark brown in colour usually. Khandsari and Gur (jaggery) are the most popular forms of the traditional sugars in northern India.

Khandsari sugar is usually darker than other sugars

The largest producer and consumer of khandsari is India. The English name “muscovado” is derived from a corruption of Portuguese açúcar mascavado (unrefined sugar).The Indian English names for this type of sugar are khandsari and khand (sometimes spelled khaand). Nearly two thirds of the total sugarcane produced had been used for manufacturing of the traditional sugars in 1930’s. However, after introduction of sugar refinery mills and their significant growth and increased demand for white sugar associated with increase in per-capital income among the population, the demand for the traditional sugars declined. By 2000, only 32.5% of the total sugarcane produced in India was used for manufacturing of Gur and Khandsari.

Muscovado a.k.a Khandsari sugar sugar is unrefined cane sugar that contains natural molasses. It has a rich brown color, moist texture, and toffee-like taste. It’s commonly used to give confections like cookies, cakes, and candies a deeper flavor but can also be added to savory dishes. This is the reason why Kocoatrait chocolate couvertures have a deeper and unique toffee like note. This helps bakers add a slightly unique flavour to their final products. This is perhaps the main reason you should be Baking with Khandsari Sugar.

The use of khand in India in making sweets has been traced to at least 500 BC, when both raw and refined sugar were used. Along with gur, khandsari unrefined sugar is India’s traditional sweetener,[28] commonly used in traditional recipes for masala chai (spiced Indian tea), eating with roti by mixing with melted ghee, traditional Indian sweets that require sugar such as kheer (Indian rice pudding), gur or khand chawal (sweetened rice) or laddu. Khandsari (muscovado) is used in traditional Ayurveda medicine to aid blood purification, digestion, bone health and the lungs.

Having said the above, our verdict is as follows: While it is true that khandsari has more nutritional value than white sugar.  But let us be real.  One should not be eating sugar for the vitamins and minerals! The fact is that khandsari is minimally processed and has a unique flavour profile which makes it interesting to work with. This should be the reason you should consume it. Further, there has always been a debate about bone char being used to refine sugar. We just could not get around proving that, so we decided to avoid the problem instead of solving it ! We do not encourage the health claims associated with khandsari. However, using minimally processed and safe ingredients is always something we are eager to do Thats why we buy only USDA organic certified khandsari sugar for use in Kocoatrait chocolate products.  

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/alternative-and-supplementary-health-model-on-traditional-sugars.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovado
Michael Krondl, Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert, Chicago Review Press, ISBN 978-1556529542, pp. 34–35

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Kocoatrait Chocolate Flavours

Kocoatrait Bean to Bar Chocolate India
Kocoatrait Bean to Bar Chocolate India

55% Dark Milk Irish Cream Chocolate (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 This chocolate bar is our treat to the coffee lover who can’t live without chocolate! The Irish cream flavour adds to the comfort!

64% Dark (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 This is our signature plain dark single origin chocolate made with Indian cacao. We have strived hard to enhance the rum & raisin notes of this chocolate bar. Makes us proud!

64% Sukku Coffee Dark Chocolate (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 Sukku Coffee, a popular drink in Tamilnadu is used to aid in digestion. It is a combination of dry ginger, coriander seeds, and other flavorful spices. We aim to recreate the popular Sukku experience with chocolate!

65% Pink Rose Dark Chocolate (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 Organic & very aromatic Pink Rose from Rajasthan provides the subtle rose flavour to enhance the experience of love! Perfect gift for your loved one.

65% Masala Chai Dark Chocolate (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 The masalas that trigger freshness have been perfectly roasted and incorporated in this chocolate bar made of Indian origin cocoa beans!

65% Coconut Milk & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 The creaminess of coconut milk and a pinch of cinnamon helps enjoy the bar while being vegan!

66% Dark Banana (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 This dark chocolate bar is made with Indian Bananas for a balanced and delightful fruity experience!

66% Dark Lavander (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 This dark chocolate bar is made with Kashmiri Lavander flowers for a creamy dark experience!

65% Red Rose Dark Chocolate (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 Organic Red Rose from Rajasthan is used to flavour this bar! With less on aroma but higher (than pink rose) on flavour, this bar is a way to please your pallete!

70% Dark (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 This is our deep and rounded plain bar! Cocoa in its purest form!

70% Dark Jaggery (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 This is our deep and rounded plain bar sweetened with jaggery to a familiar treat! Cocoa in its purest form!

66% Dark Lemongrass (Brand: Kocoatrait)
 Lemongrass is long associated with food preparation! Here we use real lemongrass of Indian origin to create a deep connection with cacao. Enjoy this South American combination!

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Why must every baker in India make their own bean to bar chocolate?

The pandemic has made most of us agree that ones own immunity is perhaps the most critical weapon in fighting the pandemic. As they say, the world order has now changed! Most executive chefs of leading hotels have amplified their voices about eating local, natural & organic foods. Further diets like Vegan, Keto, Sugarless, Sugarfree, Less Sugar and alternate sugars have been trending. Traditionally products containing chocolate make for more than 40% of a bakers total products sold. In the article below, we list a few reasons why every baker must make their own couverture chocolate from bean to bar! and start NOW!

Bean to Bar India
Bean to Bar India

Bakers have not been able to take full advantage of this opportunity and shift in consumer preferences. Bakers are best placed to cater to this changing consumer requirement. Bakers have now started to look closely at every possible ingredient that they use. However, chocolate still remains the least understood and/or prioritised ingredient. Partly because bakers think it is a complex ingredient. With the evolution of innovative small batch bean to bar chocolate making equipments and access to high quality eduction even during this time of pandemic, each baker can now make their own chocolate and create differentiated products quite easily. There is no better time than this pandemic to upgrade your skill and knowledge and develop new products and be ready for the new consumer demands.

Control the quality of ingredients

Industrially made chocolates (compounds and some pure chocolates) include several avoidable ingredients like Hydrogenated vegetable oils, PGPR, cocoa butter substitutes apart from artificial cocoa & vanilla flavours. While making bean to bar chocolates, one can control the ingredients and also make pure organic couverture chocolates using just 2 ingredients! This helps bakers improve the over all quality and purity of the ingredients used.

Introduce New Product Lines

A bean to bar setup helps bakers make their own nut butters, fillings and also Bon bins and chocolate bars. This adding their product offerings and help to service more customers. A Bean to bar chocolate setup also helps you create a new range of products. Thus helping you cater to a new audience. Take a look at our range of consumer chocolates that we have developed: https://cocoatrait.com/product-category/shop/vegan-ecofriendly-sustainable-chocolate/

Create differentiated products

By controlling the ingredients in chocolates, bakers can make differentiated products with innovative and trendy recipes. For instance, bakers can make Vegan, Keto & Paleo friendly cakes, cakes with healthier sweeteners like dates, jaggery, palm sugar etc. It also helps you make baked products with unsweetened chocolate products by following several american recipes. Thus expanding your product offering.

Create chocolate in small batches

The advantage is that you can make chocolates in batches as small as 1 kg! Thus helping you remain flexible and innovative while not investing in creating new products. You can look at the entire range of baking essentials we have made and curated here: https://cocoatrait.com/product-category/shop/baking-essentials/

Requires no extra space

The bean to bar equipment setup can be accommodated within your current compact kitchen. This can literally be made at home! Excepting tempering your chocolate, no other process requires air conditioning.

Reduce Costs

The costs of making Indian origin Bean to Bar chocolates is lesser than buying fancy imported couverture helping you save costs. Yes! You can learn more about the actual cost savings during our 3 day live Bean to Bar class. This makes it the most attractive reason to consider making bean to bar chocolates yourself.

Increased Demand

Couverture chocolates as a category is seeing very high demand. The demand for bean to bar chocolates will be higher! L Nitin Chordia predicts that there will be 40 bean to bar chocolate makers by the end of 2020 in india and over 150 bean to bar chocolate makers by end of 2021. The year 2021 is going to a decisive and important year for india.

Increase profits

Perhaps the biggest advantage of investing in the bean to bar business is that it helps you increase your profits! Yes! The Return on Investment is usually less than 14-16 months. This is possible because of increased profits.

Create a completely local product

The chocolate that almost all bakers in india use are either imported or made by Indian companies using imported cocoa beans. By making your own bean to bar chocolate you have the potential to make and use an entirely Indian product. This will help you be vocal about local and improve the local economy! This is the need of the hour for the country.

For further details contact: L Nitin Chordia +919600064846 or nitin@cocoatrait.com