In this article, we explore an emerging terroir with cocoa from Southern India. When one thinks of this immense country and its plantations, it's hard to imagine cocoa amidst cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, curry leaves, and other spices. Yet, these little-known beans are increasingly attracting artisan chocolatiers each year, in search of unique flavors.
The History of Cocoa in India
It began with the British occupation, at the end of the 18th century, who used their colonies around the world as agricultural bases for cocoa to meet the demand for chocolate. The beginnings in India were not a resounding success as the first cocoa imports used fragile Criollo varieties that never truly adapted to the local conditions of the south of the country, although they can be found today in Sri Lanka.
Cocoa cultivation in India truly took off in the 1960s when Cadbury, with the support of the World Bank and Kerala Agricultural University, launched initiatives in cocoa cultivation. Due to cocoa's preference for a warm but shaded climate year-round, the beans are only suitable for the southern states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Most of the cocoa plants cultivated in India today are of the currently dominant Forastero variety.
Idukki and the rise of Bean-to-Bar in India
The specificity of Indian cocoa owes its recognition to the celebration of the emblematic terroir of the Idukki hills in Kerala (the country's second-largest producing state) and their plantations where cocoa trees grow in harmony with all other crops. The Go Ground cooperative, founded in 2015, is exemplary in this regard, bringing together 200 small farmers initiated into sustainable agricultural practices and techniques in the Malabar forest region. Today, Indian cocoa represents only 1% of world production and is mainly intended for the local market. Recent years have seen the emergence of local artisans such as Subko Cacao (our favorite local producer) and Soklet (the most internationally renowned). The richness and complexity of its flavors have earned multiple awards, bringing new floral notes to aromatic cocoa.
Holy Cow: An Ode to the Terroir of Kerala
To illustrate this unique terroir, we are pleased to introduce Ellen and Luca, a duo of Belgian artisans whose journey is as captivating as their chocolate creations. These engineers by training settled in Southern India in 2011, in the lush region of Kerala. After five years of immersion in local culture and a thorough exploration of the world of cocoa, they founded Holy Cow, a brand that pays homage to the exceptional character of this tropical region.
Ellen and Luca in Kerala
Their innovative and holistic vision of terroir sets them apart in the world of chocolate. Holy Cow celebrates the diversity of harvests by offering bars that reflect the seasonal nuances of cocoa: dry season harvests offer woody aromas with notes of coconut, citrus, and a hint of licorice, while monsoon season harvests reveal more floral profiles, enriched with delicate vegetal touches.
Their approach goes far beyond simply making chocolate. Environmentally conscious and attentive to every ingredient, Ellen and Luca even innovate in their vegan alternatives. Their plant-based milk chocolate, for example, relies on the use of unroasted almond milk from the VeraCruzAlmonds plantation, allowing Kerala cocoa to express itself with all its sweetness and depth.
Holy Cow is not just a brand; it's a celebration of nature, craftsmanship, and taste. Each bar embodies the perfect balance between innovation and respect for traditions, a true sensory journey that transports you to the heart of Kerala's plantations.
India, Idukki dry season 85% & rainy season 85%
Holycow creates surprising, natural, and authentic flavors. Like wine, the unique, refined taste profile and quality of their cocoa are determined by several factors. Among these, the richness of the raw material plays a central role, influenced by the distinctive soil, or "terroir," the biodiversity of the plantations, and even the season of harvest and cocoa processing.
Chocolate made from cocoa harvested during the rainy season (June to September) differs subtly from that produced with cocoa from the dry season (November to January). These two varieties, carefully cultivated and with respect for nature, come from magnificent landscapes rich in biodiversity. The subtle taste differences between the "Monsoon" and "Dry" editions reveal all the magic of this process: flavors that are both surprising, natural, and authentic.
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