India imported $27.84 million worth of chocolates in the financial year 2023 as per commerce ministry data, a year-on-year growth of 45%.
“Half of our sales are coming from the premium chocolates category, and with dark chocolates being considered almost a superfood by some, the market would be unrecognisable in a few years from now,” said Karan Ahuja, co-founder of CocoCart, an omni channel retailer and distributor of imported chocolates in India.
“In the past year at CocoCart, we’ve launched Italian brand Venchi. Venchi’s most expensive offering at CocoCart is their 54-piece chocolate cigar box, with five kilograms of assorted chocolate cigars priced at Rs 64,995. We are also looking at introducing brands from Belgium and the UK in 2024, including Butlers, Leonidas, Guylian and Cartwright & Butler,” he added.
Sanskriti Gupta, spokesperson for Swiss luxury chocolate brand Laderach in India, said Laderach, in collaboration with the DS Group, has set ‘ambitious’ plans to establish its presence in key Indian markets following its debut in India.
“The Swiss chocolate brand, having experienced significant traction, both online and offline in New Delhi, aims to open five to seven exclusive stores over the next two years. The targeted markets for expansion include Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh,” she said.Gupta said the offerings span from Rs 1,050 for a 64 grams tablet to Rs 16,700 for a 72 pieces box of Pralines and Truffles.”FrischSchoggi is priced at Rs 13,800 for a 1 kilogram slab. As we near the year-end season, we have experienced an uptick in our sales which is driven by the festive, gifting and the wedding season. The per capita chocolate consumption in India is 140 grams compared to 10 kilograms in the UK. Worldwide it’s about 900 grams, so there is a huge opportunity to grow in India,” Gupta said.
Sumona Biswas, business head at ROYCE’ Chocolate, said she is seeing a lot of demand for the brand’s limited-edition Christmas gift collection from Japan. “In general, we are seeing a trend towards bitter chocolate and more unique combinations of chocolates with nuts. Christmas and the New Year have gradually gained significance as gifting occasions in India over the past few years. Over the past year, we have opened seven new stores across Bengaluru, Chennai, and Ahmedabad,” she added.
