70% Single-Origin Bar - Anamalai Estate, India

This chocolate bar was handcrafted with a mix of cacaos called Forastero and Criollo. It is fermented in wooden boxes and sun-dried on raised beds.

Variety: Forastero, Criollo

Flavor profile: guava, peanut, caramel

The Grower

The Anamalai Farm is a cacao, coconut and nutmeg farm located near the town of Pollachi, in a region famous throughout India for its high-quality coconuts. The entire area is covered in coconut plantations. Harish Manoj and Karthi Palaniswami, who own and operate the farm, have intercropped their own coconut palms with nutmeg and cacao trees to diversify and keep the land healthy. They manage their water use by drip irrigation and keep a small herd of cows for weeding and manure compost. 

Even though cacao has been produced in India for more than 50 years, its cacao production remains small, representing only 0.3% of the world’s production.

Throughout this time, India had been importing already-made chocolate from the UK, but recently there has been an increase in craft chocolate popularity in India, and some companies are starting to produce their own chocolate with Indian-grown cacao.

* Our trusting supplier for this cacao is Meridian Cacao, who work directly with cacao producers who value the environment and work to maintain the biodiversity of their land and who ensure fair and responsible labor practices and treat all workers with dignity and respect. 

*Information extracted from Meridian Cacao