Bean to Bar Chocolate

Manufacturing Class Course Certification Workshop India

For the 1st time in india, the Bean to Bar Chocolate manufacturing Certification Class Workshop and Course is now available! Start from the scratch (cocoa beans) and understand how couverture & the final chocolate bar is manufactured using small scale (micro-batch) equipment. In the 3 day bean to bar chocolate making and manufacturing program, we shall discuss, explore and understand the origins of Cacao, Flavour profiles of Cacao and Chocolate, Agricultural requirements/impacts, Harvesting/post harvesting processes, bean to bar making process, Cocoa Butter Pressing, Roast Profiles, Cracking/Winnowing Techniques, Refining, Grinding, Conching, Tempering, Moulding, Adding Flavours, Recipe Formulation, Packaging, Storing & Transportation Infrastructure, various equipment’s, raw materials, scaling up, detailed financials, business plans/scenarios, current market scenario, go to market strategy and pricing/positioning strategy. We have now added Nut Butter making. We would be working with Cocoa beans of Indian origin, and making batches with variations in the recipes during the 3 days. Whats more! The course is administered by Poonam Chordia & L Nitin Chordia who are both India’s only certified chocolate tasters. Several Indian Bean to Bar chocolate brands who are students and alumini of Cocoashala have won awards at the Asia Pacific ICA 2023!

 What’s included on Day 1:

Presentation on:

• Virtual trip to Cocoa Farm
• Cocoa Varieties
• Cocoa growing Vs Processing Countries
• Introduction to Post Harvesting methods
• Cleaning & Grading Cacao
• Determining quality of Cacao
• How to roast Cacao
• Removing shell & preparing nibs
• Grinding, Refining and conching for flavour
• Introduction to Chocolate tempering and moulding
• Difference between Industrial Vs Micro Batch
• Difference between Pure Vs Compound chocolates
• Definition of Bean to Bar chocolate

Followed by:

• Hands-on live step by step demonstration of chocolate making using small batch equipment
• Small Batch Equipment selection and discussion on Pros & Cons, Limitations of each equipment .
• Hands-on chocolate making steps (Including Roast Profiles, Cracking Techniques, Winnowing Techniques, Grinding, Conching, Adding Flavours, Tempering, Moulding)
• Raw Materials discussion – The sources of raw materials & Equipment externally shall not be discussed.
• Grade, Roast, Crack & Winnow Cocoa beans to prepare for making the chocolate.
• Some raw materials and equipment are available at Cocoashala for purchase.
• Approach to Recipe Development for Bean to Bar, Couverture, Industrial Chocolate & Compound
• Recipes used by mass market chocolate brands and how they reduce costs
• Introduction to the Million Dollar Club of Chocolates.
• What does it take to make a chocolate recipe that can earn you a Million Dollars and also increase your chances of being selected to be evaluated for an award?
• Initiate the making of different batches of chocolate with various Roast, Fermentation & Drying & Profiles.

What’s included on Day 2:

• Discussion on variations in each step/stage
• Live Demonstration of Cocoa Butter Pressing
• Bean to Bar Vs Pure Vs Industrial Vs Compound – The differences and discussions
• Craft Vs Bean to Bar chocolate – Discussion
• Discussion on Estimates/Forecast for setting up a Bean to Bar, Pure Chocolate or Compound business
• Challenges and opportunities in Bean to Bar in India
• Tasting of Indian origin chocolates
• Details of “Point of failure” and “Reasons of Success” at each step/stage of the bean to bar making process

What’s included on Day 3:

• Tempering Techniques
• “Finish” (Temper, Mould & Demould) all the 3 batches of chocolates
• Chocolate Tasting/Appreciation methodology
• Tasting of the batch of chocolate that you would make
• Tasting of some defective chocolates (and discussion on reasons)
• Detailed Business Plan for various capacities including Recipe / BOM Costing, loss at each stage and residue strategy.
• New! More detailed Profit & Loss and Business Plan including ROI (without Balance Sheet)
• Equipments required when expanding (Pros and Cons)
• Equipment and Capacity Expansion Strategy/approach/tips
• Infrastructure required (for various Capacities)
• Sourcing approach/Tips
• Branding / Marketing / Sales approach/tips and discussion
• Outlook of the current Indian market & forecast
• GAP in the current market
• Detailed discussion on storage, transportation and packaging

Who should take this On Boarding course?

The full length 3 day program has been specially tailored for anyone who wishes to expand their current business or start afresh and become a Micro-batch Bean to Bar Chocopreneur (Chocolate Entrepreneur) soon after attending the On-Boarding program.

Recent Update: Several Indian Bean to Bar chocolate brands have won awards at the Asia Pacific ICA 2023! Brands like Paul & Mike (Gold), Kocoatrait (Silver), Savorworks (Silver), Bon Fiction (Bronze) have been incubated @ Cocoashala or are proud students/alumini. Our aim @ Cocoashala is ensure that more Indian brands participate and win at the ICA which will get India to win more and place itself firmly on the world Cocoa/Chocolate map! We would discuss an approach to best approach winning awards at the ICA. Please note that we can never guarantee an award but will give you the best opportunity to do so! We are on Mission ICA!

Testimonials & Reviews

As the world’s only bean to bar chocolate training institute and business incubation center, we have made some very meaningful contributions to the bean to bar chocolate industry in India and overseas. Below are mentions of some of our contributions and some testimonials from the most aggressive and top Chocolate Makers of India who have generously rewarded us with their kind words and also have quoted us in mainstream media. We are indebted to them for allowing us to be and making us part of their beautiful journey and to have the opportunity in the 1st place!

“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. (https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/chennai-start-up-cocoashala-churns-out-bean-to-bar-chocolate-entrepreneurs/article66107686.ece)

“Specifically for bean to bar chocolate, to understand how it is made,” he recommends keen parties pay a visit to Cocoashala School in Chennai. https://www.cntraveller.in/story/india-chocolate-making-how-to-advice-from-6-professionals/

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. (https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/business-of-brands/farmers-chocolatiers-look-to-create-a-market-for-indian-flavoured-chocolates/68018214)

“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. (https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/artisanal-craft-chocolates-made-in-rajahmundry/article66135297.ece)

“It was a coincidence I came across cocoashala when I was searching for things I could do with chocolate. I signed up as soon as I saw they have a bean to bar workshop. What a wonderful coinsidence it was! The wealth of knowledge I obtained from Nithin and Poonam has given me a completely new perspective on the wonders of cocoa and chocolate. Not only was the workshop informative they were very forthcoming with answering all and any of my queries. They took the pains to provide us a wealth of information on trends, flavours, processes, the science behind them and more importantly the opportunities ahead! My personal interaction with Nithin proved to me his motto is to make more and more people fall in love with something wonderful that is chocolate and let everyone in on the secrets of making it. I could not have found a better person to learn from. I wish them and cocoashala all the success they can achieve!” – Akhil Grandhi, Founder, Bon Fiction Bean to Bar Chocolates, India

“I would like to thank Nithin for making the 3 days wonderfull online session during this covid -19 situation.. and could able to deliver the information as much as possible.. He explained the true Bean to Bar process and shown his innovative ideas making sucessfull equipments and materials, which also helped others too.. really enjoyed it the session and learnt a lot, all the questions he could answervery well and shown his expertise.. only the physical feel of the complete setup and process is missing.. But to maximum extent he has shown the actual demo.. waiting to come out from this covid19 .. so that I can have quick tour on Cocoashala and feel the actual setup and process.. With this complete training and support from Cocoatrait, now its a time to pitch in making Bean to Bar Chocolate and educate the people and help Farmer, which will bring more green and organic whixh is very much essential going ahead.. Looking for your guidance and support in the upcoming Cocoa Journey.. THANK YOU again Regards, Balasubrahmanya P S” – Balasubrahmanya P S, Co- Founder, Anuttama Chocolates https://www.anuttamaproducts.com/

“Myself and my wife had a life time experience at cocoashala. Mr Nitin and his wife Mrs Poonam gave us a clear demonstration and hands on experience of bean to bar chocolate making .” – Muralidhar Rao, Moddy’s Chocolate & Modern Stores, Ooty. https://moddys.in/

“I studied at an institute in Tamil Nadu to master the art of bean-to-bar chocolate making.” – Paweena Wu, Founder, Savorworks Artisanal Chocolate (https://www.indulgexpress.com/food/trends/2023/jul/07/desi-twistindian-chocolatiers-making-waves-in-theartisanal-sweets-making-world-50748.html)

“It was a great experience to attend this workshop and see by myself how a recipe can be calculated, balanced, create, physically make a trial and compare result of 2 similar recipes with some difference. The knowledge of opening your own bean to bar facility at entry level has been so simplified and inexpensive. I am happy that I attended it.” – Munish Gupta, Windsor Chocolatier, Gurugram http://www.windsorchocolatier.com/

“I took a certified course of Bean to Bar Chocolate Making with Cocoashala to understand all the ins and outs of the process” – Sonali Gupta, Founder, Cacaoly Chocolates (https://www.cacaoly.in/story) “Had a great experience with Nitin Sir and Poonam Ma’am in the 3 days bean to bar program. It was so informative,easy to understand yet detailed and a fun learning experience. Thankyou so much.” – Sonali Gupta, Founder, Cacaoly Chocolates https://www.cacaoly.in/

“I enrolled for September batch. It was a lovely experience in learning the art of chocolate making. Nitin & Poonam were very cooperative . They addressed each query very patiently and cleared all the doubts we had prior to class and also during it. They make great mentors and advisors.” – Rushdah Humaira, Rushk Chocolates Rushdah Humaira is a “Bean to Bar” chocolate maker (and operates Rushk Bean to Bar Chocolates) trained from Cocoashala under famous Chocolatier L Nitin Chordia. https://rushkchocolates.com/

“My friend and I came from Thailand to have 3 day Micro-batch Bean to Bar Chocolate marking certification class with Cocoashala. We really enjoyed this course ! Nitin and Poonam gave us the excellent understanding in bean to bar chocolate and how to make many varieties of chocolate. The best part of this course is finacial program for business. We really like this course, highly recommend this course to everyone who’s interested in bean to bar chocolate !!! Jib/Oath” – https://maps.app.goo.gl/fTZxED2H1WzP1nup8

“I recently completed a three day bean-to-bar chocolate making workshop at cocoashala, Mr Nithin and Poonam was extremely Knowledgeable ,Friendly and Very Patient , explained and demonstrated the techniques very well at the same time made it an enjoyable experience. Overall I would thoroughly recommended the course to anyone that has an interested in chocolate and would like to improve their skills.” – Renji George, Kerala

“We took the 3 days Bean to Bar course and it was one of the best choices we have made for our passion for chocolates. Firstly the hospitality by Mr. Nitin Sir and Mrs. Poonam Ma’am was so warm and friendly. Their knowledge for chocolates is profound. We got hands on practice in making chocolates from bean to bar and all the necessary theories. We were taught from basics to business. Mr. Nitin Sir patiently clears all your doubts and is ready to help you out with anything. By the end of the third day we were confident enough to make our own pure chocolate and it was very satisfying. We thoroughly enjoyed this course.” Vipin Paul, Ooty

“Hi,..i have attended the 3 days hands on Bean to Bar workshop, which I would say the best classes I have ever come across. Mr. Nitin is so passionate in chocolate, that he knows how to really conduct a full fledged classes in deep even though it’s a 3 days workshop.He handles the chocolate making part with detailed explanation in each and every process, and also makes us to try out the process.Mrs.Punam his better-half is a wonderful woman, she handles the tempering part, truffle, Bon-bon and different butters, where we be doing for us under her supervision. Both of them are very patient enough and truely enlightened in their part. They are always ready to help in any matter related, without any hesitation. I’m also thankful to Sharanya and Vickey Bhayya (their assistants) for the help throughout the workshop. It’s like a PG class were, they inculcate us with knowledge and rest is in our hands to how to take up with further research, trial and error method. I really recommend Cocoashala, All the very best to the team 😊👍” – Mizria Milan, Dubai

“I have done professional chocolate making course in Delhi where I was taught to handle compound and make different types of chocolates. I always wanted to make my own chocolate from scratch which I learnt was called Bean to Bar. I searched the net for learning the above course. My search led to Cocotrait in Chennai. My joy knew no bounds. I called Nitin and visited his place and learnt about the course structure and details. I had the opportunity to do the course in June. It was a wonderful experience learning under Nitin and Poonam who teach with a passion. They have a vast knowledge and abroad exposure. The best was they are full of innovative ideas and were encouraging to establish start up. I am really grateful to have learnt from them. They have set me on my journey to make my own bean to bar chocolates.” – Sepuri Durga, Banglaore

“I had a very good experience and learning with Nitin and Poonam during the bean to bar workshop. Details and technical information was openly shared and we had the opportunity to go through the entire process from bean to bar. I had the opportunity as well to do the cacao and chocolate tasting course. It was a complete journey into the origins of cacao, quality, cacao and chocolate profiles and tasting a variety of chocolates from around the world. The organisation was impecable. Thank you Nitin for sharing your knowledge and your enthusiasm during the course.” Claudia Victoria, Columbia

“I absolutely enjoyed my class in Cocoashala . It was fun and informative session on chocolate that helps me understand how to work with chocolate better as a baker and definitely paves the way for going organic in baking and chocolate making.Thank you Nitin and Poonam for a great session and sharing your passion for the craft of chocolate making. My one suggestion is that you have different classes for chocolate making and another to understand the business part of bean to bar.” – Suganya Kannan, Chennai

“I consider myself to be very lucky to have been introduced to a whole new world of chocolate making from bean to bar. It was lovely meeting Nitin and Poonam who(to my knowledge) are an authority to chocolate making in India. I enjoyed every bit of the chocolate making sessions at Cocoashala. I was spellbound to know the richness of chocolate and the history behind it. I am sure that this association with Chocolates and Cocoashala is going to go along way. Bhavesh Doshi, Belgaum.”

“Excellent bean to bar in Chennai, easy to see the passion they put on CACAO and the extra interest of maintaining traceability and transparency. I have also taken the CACAO tasting courses taught by the INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE AND CHOCOLATE AND CACAO TASTING highly recommended” – Cesar Magana, France

“Had gone for the bean to bar course and it was an amazing learning experience. I would say this is a must do course for all the chocolatiers out there. Nitin’s energy and way of conducting the course is also too good :)” – Nadheem Mohamed, Kerala/Dubai

“I recently completed a three day bean-to-bar chocolate-making workshop at Cocoashala. These courses are rare and so I was glad to find this one which currently runs monthly (approx.). Overall I was highly satisfied with the experience – from the communication beforehand right through to the workshop itself. The hospitality was first class and it represented good value for money. Nitin and Poonam divided the workshop between them which was good as I got the perspective of two people on the various stages of bean-to-bar. Secondly, because the workshop is run inside the actual facility where this business operates, one gets a very real sense of what it is like to work in the industry. Therefore it makes it easier to visualize what the needs and space requirements are if one were to set up business. With respect to areas of improvement, I would suggest adding more videos and photos to the educational component on farming. Obviously, the fermentation and drying sections of the course were only covered theoretically for obvious reasons. However, given the importance of these stages, I think an expanded stock of videos would enhance the experience. Last but not least, if it were at all possible to offer escorted tours to farms, I think there would be huge interest. Although I realize this may be difficult in practice. Best wishes for the future.” – Conor Kilgallen, Scotland

“Had an amazing experience attending the Bean to Bar and Levels 1 &2 Chocolate Tasting Certificate courses conducted by Cocoshala. Thoughtfully structured keeping in mind both national as well as international trends in craft chocolates, between Nitin, Poonam and Martin, the entire 7 days felt like Charlie’s guided tour of the Willy Wonka factory…for craft chocolates! Worth every penny and every minute spent with them. Nitin and Poonam proved to be the most amazing couple, absolutely passionate about making chocolates as well as imparting the knowledge to everyone around them. Proof of the proverbial pudding (or chocolate, in this case) lies in the international diversity of the participants who attend their courses.” – Roshini Alexander Korath, Kerala

“I had a great experience with Nitin ji in the Bean to Bar course. Lots of discussions and from cocoa bean to bar chocolate done at home was really awsome with the aroma still lingering in the mind….thanks a lot Nitin ji.” – Vidhya Shree, Bangalore

Some feedback from students of other courses about Cocoashala: Click Here

Video Review of Cocoashala Chennai:

Duration: 3 continuous Days (8 hours each day with working lunch included) + please keep 1 hour extra in hand. Please refer start time above on each option.

Batch Size: Max 5 participants

Payment: Payment to be made atleast 10 working days in advance to help us plan for the course and keep facility available with prior arrangements.

Venue: Cocoashala, 34, Conron Smith Road, Gopalapuram, Chennai 600086.

Stay & Meal: Stay is not arranged. Vegetarian Working Lunch will be provided by us on the days spent at Cocoashala.

Please clarify any doubts that you may have before making the payment.

Note: We will not be making Milk or White chocolates during the 3 day workshop. The recipes however would be shared. We would like to focus on flavours of Cacao beans and discussions accordingly. Limited course material will be provided. We would like this to be a practical, Hands-on and highly interactive, engaging and conversational class. You are welcome to bring your notebook but we prefer that you listen to all that we have to say, be hands-on and ask questions rather than taking notes. Treat this like an MBA class where in you will learn and implement the learnings in your journey. We have noticed that the take away for the participant is very less if notes are being taken down. Sourcing of raw materials and equipment discussions are covered in this course (Nitin shall assist as per ability post the course also). A full batch of chocolate could take upto 50 hours to make so we must make some prior preparation to complete a few batches. Post the course phone/email consultation (@ Rs 4000 per hour) would be charged extra at actuals.

Price include GST @ 18% extra.

EMI Options (Based on popular request):

The EMI Options/Procedure are:

1. The candidate chooses the date on which the class is scheduled and informs Cocoashala.
2. The candidate is requested to pay the same (via bank IMPS/NEFT transfer) in 2 equal instalments of the entire course fee.
3. The final instalment should have been paid 1 week before the start date of the workshop
4. Once the final instalment is paid, we shall send you confirmation and your slot will be registered.
5. We shall provide you an invoice which will confirm your payment in full. In case you are GST registered we shall include your GSTIN on the invoice.
6. The candidate shall inform at each stage when the payment has been done.
7. The registered slot is transferable only once (in case the candidate cant attend on that particular date for any reason). This will be based on availability and Cocoashala shall inform you about the availability of the next batch.
8. Please ask for bank details

Distance to Cocoashala during Non Peak time from:

• Airport: 45 Minutes
• Central Railway Station: 30 Minutes
• Egmore Railway Station (Not very commonly used station): 30Minutes

Distance to Cocoashala during Peak time from:

• Airport: 75 Minutes
• Central Railway Station: 40 Minutes
• Egmore Railway Station (Not very commonly used station): 40Minutes

Some Hotels close to Cocoashala: (Please do your own research too! We do not have any business relationship with these hotels. You would still have to use an Uber)

https://www.booking.com/hotel/in/ehotel.en-gb.html (Most Recommended – less than 2 Km from Cocoashala)

https://www.booking.com/hotel/in/new-woodlands-chennai.en-gb.html (less than 1 Km from Cocoashala – Pure Vegetarian; Old style rooms)

https://www.booking.com/hotel/in/savera.en-gb.html (Less than 1 Km from Cocoashala)

https://www.booking.com/hotel/in/raj-park.en-gb.html (Less than 1 Km from Cocoashala)

https://www.booking.com/hotel/in/zostel-chennai.en-gb.html (This is an affordable hostel in case anyone is interested in a hostel bunker bed experience.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/in/hyatt-regency-chennai.en-gb.html