We Make Chocolate from Scratch in Bangalore
Small workshop on MG Road. Three-day process from bean to finished bar. Organic cocoa from Karnataka farms.
Our Process
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Day 1: Sort and roast beans at 140°C for 25 minutes
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Day 2: Grind nibs in stone melanger for 18 hours
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Day 3: Temper, mold and cool the chocolate
What We Use
Cocoa beans from Chikmagalur farms. Organic cane sugar from Tamil Nadu. No preservatives or artificial additives. Each ingredient traceable to its source.
Visit Tuesday to Saturday, 9 AM - 7 PM. Watch us work and taste samples.
From Chikmagalur Farms to MG Road Workshop
How we source beans and turn them into bars over three days
Local Cocoa from Chikmagalur
We buy cocoa beans from farms in Chikmagalur district, about 250 kilometers from our workshop. The farmers there have been growing cocoa since the 1970s, mostly on small plots between coffee plants. The climate in that region keeps the beans mild and slightly fruity.
Every month we drive to the farms to pick up fresh beans. We meet with farmers like Rajesh Kumar and Lakshmi Devi who dry their cocoa beans on bamboo mats in the sun. They show us each harvest and we taste samples before buying.
Our Three-Day Process
Day one starts with sorting and roasting. We check each bean by hand and remove any that look damaged. Then we roast small batches in our oven at 140 degrees for 25 minutes. The workshop smells like warm nuts when we do this.
Day two is grinding. We crack the roasted beans and remove the shells, then grind the nibs in our stone melanger for 18 hours. We add organic cane sugar from Tamil Nadu farms. The mixture becomes liquid as the cocoa butter melts from the friction.
Day three is tempering and molding. We heat the chocolate to 45 degrees, cool it to 27, then warm it again to 31. This makes it shiny and gives it a clean snap. We pour it into bar molds and let it set in our cooling room.
Distance to our cocoa farms in Chikmagalur
Time needed to make each batch from bean to bar
How long we grind the chocolate in our melanger
What 72% Cocoa Contains
Nutritional compounds in the dark chocolate we make
Heart and Blood Flow
Dark chocolate with 70% cocoa has flavonoids that help blood vessels relax. Studies show eating 30 grams daily can lower blood pressure slightly. The cocoa we use from Chikmagalur typically has 72-75% cocoa content in our dark bars.
Brain Function
Cocoa contains theobromine and small amounts of caffeine. Together these improve focus for a few hours after eating. Our 50-gram bars have about as much caffeine as a cup of green tea.
Antioxidants
Raw cocoa beans rank high in antioxidant content compared to other foods. These compounds help protect cells from damage. We roast our beans at low temperature to keep more of these intact.
Minerals Present
A 50-gram bar of our 75% dark chocolate contains iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese. These help with energy production and bone health. Our bars have no added vitamins, just what comes naturally from cocoa beans.
Note: We make chocolate for taste, not as medicine. Eat it because you enjoy it. The amounts listed here are from laboratory tests of cocoa, not health claims we make ourselves.
Monsoon Season Discount
20% off all dark chocolate bars until the offer ends
During Karnataka's monsoon months, we run a discount on our dark chocolate range. This gives us time to focus on making milk chocolate varieties while selling through our dark chocolate inventory. All bars are fresh from our last production cycle.
Time remaining for this discount:
Recent Customer Comments
What people told us after buying bars at MG Road workshop
I walked past this place three times before going in. The chocolate they make has a grainy texture that tastes different from store brands. I bought four bars of 75% dark and finished two in one evening. The woman working there explained their whole process while I waited.
Priya Nambiar
From Chennai, visited October 2024
My daughter has milk allergies. They showed me exactly which bars have only cocoa and sugar. No long ingredient lists to decode.
Venkat Rao
Bangalore local
The milk chocolate bar tasted like actual milk and cocoa. Not too sweet. I gave some to my nephew and he asked where his mother could buy more.
Anjali Deshmukh
From Pune
I work near MG Road and stop by when I need gifts. The chocolate costs more than supermarket brands but people always comment on the taste. Last week I bought eight bars for my office team.
Karthik Iyer
IT professional, Bangalore
They let me taste three different percentages before buying. The 85% was too bitter for me but the 65% worked perfectly. The man explained that each batch varies slightly depending on the beans.
Meera Kulkarni
Food blogger, Mumbai
Meet Arjun, Kavya, and Ramesh
The three people who run our Bangalore workshop
Arjun Menon
Founder, bean roaster
Started this in 2019 after working at a coffee roastery in Coorg for six years. Learned chocolate making from online courses and trial batches. Handles bean sourcing and roasting schedules. Makes decisions about which farms to work with based on taste tests.
Kavya Srinivasan
Production manager
Joined in 2020 after studying food science at Mysore University. Runs the tempering and molding process. Keeps production logs and tests each batch for consistency. Answers customer questions about ingredients and allergens during workshop hours.
Ramesh Patil
Equipment technician
Maintains the melanger, tempering machine, and cooling equipment. Previously worked at a machinery shop in Hubli. Built custom modifications to our roaster based on Arjun's requests. Comes in three days a week to check equipment and handle repairs.
Why Our Chocolate Costs More Than Supermarket Brands
Six ways small-batch production differs from factory chocolate
Small Batch Size
We grind 5 kilograms at a time in our melanger. Large factories process tons per hour. This means we can adjust sugar levels between batches based on how sweet each cocoa variety tastes. Last month we made 23 separate batches.
Direct Farm Contact
We buy beans directly from eight farms in Chikmagalur and Coorg. No middlemen or bulk suppliers. When a farm has issues with their crop, we know immediately. We visit each farm at least twice a year to see their drying process and taste new harvests.
No Premade Ingredients
We start with whole beans, not cocoa liquor or powder bought from suppliers. This takes more time but lets us control the roast level. Different roast temperatures bring out different flavors. We roast lighter than most chocolate makers in India.
Visible Production
Our workshop sits behind a glass wall. Customers watch the melanger running and see chocolate being poured into molds. No hidden factory floors. If something breaks or a batch fails, people can see that too. We answer questions while working.
Limited Variety
We make six types of bars. Not forty flavors with extracts and mix-ins. Just dark chocolate at different percentages and two milk chocolate versions. When we want to try something new, we make it as a small test batch and ask regular customers for feedback first.
Seasonal Availability
Some bars sell out and stay unavailable for weeks. We only make what our equipment can handle. During monsoon season we focus on dark chocolate because milk powder behaves unpredictably in high humidity. Factories keep everything in stock year-round. We cannot.
Watch Us Make Chocolate Tuesday Through Saturday
Our workshop has glass walls. Stand outside and watch the melanger running, see us tempering chocolate on marble slab, observe bars being poured into molds. Staff answers questions when not busy with production.
Open 9 AM to 7 PM weekdays, 10 AM to 5 PM Sunday. Free entry. Tasting costs nothing if you ask politely.