In the bustling heart of Saket’s Eldeco Center, a chocolate revolution is quietly unfolding. Manam Chocolate, India’s internationally-acclaimed craft chocolate brand, has opened its first experiential destination in New Delhi—a space that fundamentally reimagines how we interact with, understand, and appreciate chocolate. This isn’t merely another retail outlet; it’s a comprehensive chocolate universe where visitors embark on a sensory journey from bean to bar, experiencing the magic of Indian cacao in all its magnificent forms.
The Visionary Behind the Revolution: Chaitanya Muppala
The story of Manam Chocolate begins with Chaitanya Muppala, whose family owns Hyderabad’s beloved Almond House, which has been making traditional sweetmeats in the city for decades. When Chaitanya Muppala, 32, got to run the family-owned Almond House, a leading mithai store in Hyderabad, he was quick to notice the shift in gifting preferences from tradition to modernity in the Old City. This observation sparked a vision that would eventually transform India’s craft chocolate landscape.
Chaitanya Muppala, India’s only Level 3 Certified Chocolate Taster, founded Manam Kharkhana in 2018 to focus on artisanal production on a smaller scale, from whole beans to finished bars. However, the full realization of his chocolate dreams came with the launch of Manam Chocolate on August 15, 2023. The name “Manam” holds deep cultural significance—in Telugu, Manam signifies ‘us’ or ‘us’, reflecting the brand’s community-focused approach and celebration of collective achievement.
Muppala’s journey wasn’t just about business expansion; it was about understanding chocolate from the ground up. Chaitanya spent three years in farms understanding the chocolate making process. This expedition led to him working with 150 farmers growing cacao in 3,000 acres of land. This hands-on approach to learning the craft from its agricultural foundations distinguishes Manam from brands that simply source and process chocolate without deep understanding of cultivation.
From Hyderabad Roots to Global Recognition
The brand employs proprietary technology to craft its chocolates, utilizing cacao sourced from over 100 farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district. This local focus has created a vertically integrated operation that maintains quality control from seed to finished product while supporting regional farming communities.
The success has been meteoric. Within four months of its launch, Manam Chocolate went on to win in 17 categories at the World Chocolate Awards. More specifically, the brand has won 17 awards at the 2023 Academy of Chocolate Awards in the UK, including:
- 1 Gold award
- 10 Silver awards
- 5 Bronze awards
- Named the ‘Overall Winner’ in the ‘Brand Experience’ category
The ultimate validation came in 2024 when Manam Chocolate was featured on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2024. This recognition places Manam alongside the world’s most innovative and culturally significant destinations, acknowledging not just their chocolate quality but their contribution to experiential retail and cultural preservation.
Adding to their accolades, Manam Chocolate Karkhana ranks 28th on the Condé Nast Traveller x Zomato Top Restaurant Awards list across India, further cementing their position as a destination rather than merely a chocolate producer.
A Mission Rooted in Indian Agriculture
Manam Chocolate operates with a clear mission: to elevate the quality of the country’s cacao at one end, and create an experiential, design-driven brand at the other. By doing so, it hopes to get more Indians to eat—and gift—Indian craft chocolate. This philosophy challenges the long-standing preference for imported chocolates and positions Indian cacao as equal to the world’s finest.
The brand works closely with their 100+ farmer-member community and their sister-concern Distinct Origins Cacao Fermentery in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. Together, they are revealing the unexplored flavours of the Indian Cacao through progressive farm practices and scientific fermentation and drying processes, elevating it to its rightful place on the world stage.
Beyond Retail: The Philosophy of Experiential Chocolate
The moment you step into Manam Chocolate’s Delhi space, it becomes clear that this establishment operates on an entirely different paradigm from traditional chocolate stores. The philosophy here transcends simple commerce, embracing what the brand calls an “immersive, layered experience.” Chocolate flows through transparent pipes overhead like liquid art, creating visual poetry that connects every corner of the space while serving as a constant reminder of chocolate’s fluid, transformative nature.
This innovative approach reflects a deeper understanding of craft chocolate as both an agricultural product and an artistic medium. By making the chocolate-making process visible and accessible, Manam has created what they describe as a “karkhana”—a workspace where creation happens in full view of visitors, demystifying the craft while celebrating its complexity.
The Journey from Farm to Experience
One of the most compelling aspects of Manam’s Delhi destination is its commitment to transparency and traceability. Live screens throughout the space broadcast footage directly from cacao farms in West Godavari and Manam’s fermentary in Tadikalapudi, creating an unprecedented connection between consumers and the origins of their chocolate. This real-time glimpse into the agricultural foundations of craft chocolate serves multiple purposes: it educates visitors about the farming process, celebrates the Indian cacao industry, and reinforces Manam’s commitment to supporting local agriculture.
The visual journey from lush cacao pods swaying in Andhra Pradesh fields to the finished products in Delhi creates a narrative that few chocolate brands can match. This farm-to-experience transparency isn’t just marketing; it’s a fundamental part of Manam’s identity as a brand that’s deeply rooted in Indian soil and traditions while reaching for international excellence.
The Theatre of Chocolate Making: Craftsmanship on Display
The live chocolaterie serves as the beating heart of the Delhi experience. Here, skilled chocolatiers perform their craft with the precision of artists and the passion of artisans. Visitors can observe the intricate process of tempering chocolate—a critical technique that ensures the perfect texture, snap, and glossy finish that distinguishes premium chocolate. The rhythmic pouring of molten chocolate into moulds becomes almost hypnotic, while the careful crafting of signature bonbons transforms functional space into performance art.
The bonbon selection itself tells the story of Manam’s innovative approach to flavor. Creations like hazelnut praline with 45% milk chocolate showcase classical European techniques adapted for Indian palates, while the pumpkin spice latte bonbon with 67% dark chocolate demonstrates the brand’s willingness to embrace contemporary flavor trends without compromising on quality. Each bonbon is meticulously crafted, with chocolatiers paying careful attention to every detail—from the perfect snap of tempered chocolate to the precise balance of ganache within.
Adjacent to the chocolaterie, pastry chefs work their magic with equal transparency. The process of layering and frosting cakes becomes a masterclass in pastry arts, while cookies like malted chocolate chunk and raspberry & chocolate ganache are pressed, filled, and baked in small batches throughout the day. This continuous production ensures that visitors always encounter the freshest possible products while experiencing the intoxicating aromas of almond & cacao nib croissants, orange & fennel danish, and warm chocolate brownies.
A Universe of Products: 350 Items Across 50 Categories
The retail section of Manam’s Delhi space reads like an encyclopedia of chocolate possibilities. With over 350 products spanning 50 categories, this collection demonstrates the incredible versatility of Indian cacao and challenges preconceptions about what craft chocolate can be. This extensive range positions Manam far beyond typical craft chocolate brands, which often focus primarily on tablet production.
Product Categories Include:
- Signature bonbons – filled with luscious ganache for complex flavor experiences
- Silky palettes – engineered to melt smoothly and deliver pure chocolate essence
- Crunchy clusters – playful textures with contemporary touches
- Hand-broken barks – studded with salted peanuts or caramel popcorn
- The Thins collection – ultra-thin tablets for intense chocolate flavor
- Baker’s Collection – premium ingredients including baking cacao nibs, chocolate tablets, and cacao powder
The signature bonbons represent perhaps the pinnacle of Manam’s artisanal approach. Each piece is filled with luscious ganache and designed to deliver complex flavor experiences that evolve on the palate. The silky palettes, engineered to melt smoothly and deliver pure chocolate essence, demonstrate technical mastery in texture manipulation.
For home enthusiasts and professional bakers, the Baker’s Collection offers premium ingredients including baking cacao nibs, chocolate baking tablets and pods, and cacao powder. This collection democratizes access to high-quality Indian chocolate ingredients, enabling others to incorporate Manam’s excellence into their own culinary creations.
Innovation Through Tradition: The Signature Collections
Manam’s Signature Tablet Collections represent the brand’s most ambitious expressions of chocolate craftsmanship. The Single Origin India Series celebrates the unique terroir of Indian cacao, featuring tablets crafted from beans grown in Andhra Pradesh and other Indian regions. Each tablet in this series tells the story of its specific growing region, with flavor profiles that reflect local soil conditions, climate patterns, and cultivation practices.
The Creative Fermentation Series pushes the boundaries of chocolate innovation by experimenting with cacao fermented alongside native Indian ingredients. Tablets featuring cacao fermented with pedda rasalu mango and chakkarakeli banana represent a bold fusion of traditional fermentation techniques with uniquely Indian flavors. This approach not only creates distinctive taste profiles but also celebrates India’s rich agricultural biodiversity.
These experimental fermentations require deep understanding of both chocolate-making and fermentation science. The process involves carefully controlling the fermentation environment while introducing complementary flavors that will enhance rather than overwhelm the chocolate’s natural characteristics. The results are tablets that taste unmistakably Indian while meeting international standards for craft chocolate excellence.
Liquid Chocolate: The Beverage Bar Revolution
The Craft Chocolate Beverage Bar represents perhaps Manam’s most innovative retail concept. By melting chocolate tablets directly into beverages, this approach creates drinks with layered flavors that unfold progressively with each sip. This method ensures that every beverage delivers authentic chocolate taste rather than the artificial flavoring common in commercial chocolate drinks.
The menu of over 36 unique beverages demonstrates remarkable creativity within the framework of quality ingredients:
- Custard matcha iced latte – white chocolate with silky custard and premium matcha
- Dark chocolate orange latte – fruity 67% dark chocolate with fresh orange zest
- Hazelnut praline latte – caramelized white chocolate with praline and espresso
- Raspberry brownie fudge shake – house-baked brownies, dark chocolate, and fresh raspberries
For those seeking pure indulgence, the raspberry brownie fudge shake transforms a beverage into a dessert experience. Packed with chunks of house-baked brownies, dark chocolate, and fresh raspberries, this creation blurs the line between drink and dessert while maintaining the quality standards that define the Manam experience.
Personalization and Engagement
The Make-Your-Own Chocolate Station represents democratization of the chocolate-making process. By allowing visitors to create personalized tablets from flowing single-origin chocolates and selected toppings, Manam transforms passive consumers into active participants in chocolate creation. The station features toppings like:
- Caramelized pecans
- Candied orange
- Cacao nibs
- Raspberry jelly
This hands-on experience serves multiple purposes: it educates visitors about chocolate composition, creates personal connection to the product, and generates unique takeaway items that serve as memorable souvenirs. The custom packaging adds professional polish to these personalized creations, ensuring that every visitor’s chocolate tablet looks and feels like a premium product.
Culinary Integration: The Manam Café Experience
Manam Café extends the chocolate experience into comprehensive dining, offering a menu inspired by the culinary traditions of India’s cacao-growing regions. This approach creates authentic connections between chocolate and the broader food culture of areas like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Rather than simply adding chocolate to existing dishes, the café celebrates the ingredients and flavor profiles that naturally complement cacao.
Specialty Beverages:
- Cold drip cacao nitro – coffee steeped through single-origin cacao
- Caramelized white chocolate mocha – comfort-focused indulgence
Food Menu Highlights:
- Jackfruit croquettes
- Spaghetti gongura aglio olio
- Curry leaf prawns
- Palakura artichoke sandwich
- Superfood salad
These dishes celebrate regional ingredients and cooking techniques while creating flavor profiles that complement rather than compete with chocolate experiences. The lighter options ensure that visitors won’t overwhelm the palate before chocolate tastings.
Education and Community Building
The Manam Classroom represents the brand’s commitment to education and community engagement. Through curated workshops and tasting sessions, this space offers deeper exploration of craft chocolate topics including:
- Cacao fermentation processes
- Chocolate-making techniques
- Flavor development processes
- Chocolate tasting methodology
These educational programs transform visitors from consumers into informed enthusiasts who can appreciate the complexity behind every Manam product. The classroom sessions, announced through Manam’s social media channels, create ongoing engagement beyond single visits.
The Future of Chocolate Retail
Manam Chocolate’s Delhi destination represents a new model for specialty food retail—one that prioritizes experience over transaction, education over sales, and engagement over efficiency. By making chocolate production visible, connecting products to their origins, and offering multiple ways to experience chocolate, Manam has created a template that could influence retail across the craft food industry.
This approach acknowledges that modern consumers, particularly in urban markets like Delhi, seek authentic experiences and meaningful connections to the products they purchase. The success of Manam’s experiential model suggests that the future of specialty retail lies not in competing on price or convenience, but in offering depth, quality, and genuine engagement that online shopping cannot replicate.
The Delhi space proves that chocolate can serve as a gateway to broader conversations about agriculture, craftsmanship, cultural identity, and global trade. By anchoring these conversations in sensory experience and visible craftsmanship, Manam has created something rare: a retail destination that educates, entertains, and inspires while delivering products of exceptional quality.
As India’s craft chocolate industry continues to mature, Manam’s Delhi destination stands as both achievement and inspiration—proof that Indian chocolate makers can compete globally while celebrating distinctly Indian approaches to craft, community, and culinary excellence.
