The Whole Truth Foods (TWT) recently launched a chocolate range sweetened only with dates and without any added sugar or artificial sweeteners. With this new category launch, home-grown company TWT brings to its audience a range of premium, decadent, yet 100% clean chocolate made from just two ingredients – the finest locally-sourced, single-origin cocoa from Idukki (a district in Kerala), and imported high-quality, non-GMO dates.
In order to take charge of the manufacturing process and produce the finest dark chocolate in the country, TWT set up its very own bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Mumbai. From establishing a factory to sourcing beans directly from Kerala to spending months perfecting the delicate process of achieving a velvety smooth texture while using a sweetener as challenging as dates (due to their high fibre), this journey of creating a 100% clean, yet decadent, product in a traditionally indulgent category has been a significant milestone for the brand.
Despite growing at 30% YOY, dark chocolate constitutes a minuscule (INR 600 cr) part of the larger INR 14000 cr chocolate market. This is primarily because of the substantial price gap between milk chocolate and dark chocolate, which has, in turn, meant that dark chocolate, despite its many health benefits, has been reserved for the elites. Even consumers with a robust understanding of the category and high intent to purchase find themselves without access to couverture chocolate. TWT addresses this gap and takes artisanal to scale by delivering the same premium quality, now improved with dates, at a far more competitive price point. The TWT chocolates have two base variants – 71% and 55% dark chocolate, along with various flavours like orange, hazelnut, sea salt, and almond raisin.
Talking about the launch, Shashank Mehta, Founder and CEO, The Whole Truth Foods said, “It was about 18 months ago when we decided to create a chocolate that was sweetened only with dates. No added sugar or sweeteners. However, dates are quite fibrous so achieving that perfectly smooth texture of rich chocolate called for 4X longer conch-time. That meant that every batch of this chocolate had to be continuously ground for up to 22 hours! For us, owning every part of the bean-to-bar journey was critical and so we set up our own chocolate factory in Mumbai. After numerous nights burning the midnight oil and countless iterations, we are super proud to introduce India’s first dark chocolate naturally sweetened only with dates and without any artificial sweeteners/ added sugar.”
“Why should dark chocolate be inaccessible to most people in the country? Consumers are not only becoming more aware of the benefits of REAL chocolate, but are developing a palate that moves away from the sugar-laden dessert we call chocolate. Yet they get completely priced out of the dark chocolate market. We’re breaking this trend by offering a 100% clean, truly decadent and naturally sweetened chocolate at a much better price,” he further added.
The Whole Truth is India’s first and only 100% clean label brand. The 5-6 ingredients listed on the front of their packs are the only things that go into their food. Anything else is a strict no.
