Restaurant India News: India’s Premium Chocolate Market Shifts as SMOOR Launches Indian-Origin Cacao Range

SMOOR is positioning itself at the center of that transition with the launch of its Signature Indian Cacao Range. The move marks the brand’s entry into an emerging category focused on Indian-origin cacao, reflecting a broader industry push toward provenance, traceability, and in-house production.

The new range is built around cacao sourced from Eluru district in Andhra Pradesh. According to the company, the beans offer fruity notes of red fruit and citrus, along with moderate complexity and a long finish. SMOOR is processing the cacao through its bean-to-bar model, handling sourcing, roasting, refining, tempering, and final production internally. This approach aligns with a growing preference in the hospitality and premium retail sectors for tighter quality control and differentiated product stories.

"India has long been a land of extraordinary ingredients, yet its cacao story is only just beginning to be told," said Vimal Sharma, Founder & CEO, SMOOR. "With our Signature Indian Cacao Range, we wanted to honour the origins of cacao grown closer to home and bring forward flavours that feel familiar, emotional and deeply rooted. This range is about celebrating Indian taste memory, crafted with integrity, patience and respect for the process."

The portfolio includes 17 SKUs, spanning multiple consumption formats aimed at both retail shelves and hospitality channels. The range features handcrafted truffles in a box of 30 mini pieces, incorporating flavours such as dates, coconut, citrus, and spice. Craft chocolate bars include 70 percent and 80 percent dark variants, sweetened with jaggery and date powder, while additional variants integrate orange and hops for layered flavour profiles.

SMOOR has also introduced chocolate nibbles positioned as bite-sized products with regional flavour cues, including Andhra gunpowder, Mahabaleshwar strawberries, and mango. A no added sugar variant has also been included to address demand for reduced-sugar offerings. The portfolio is further extended with “Thins,” 5g chocolate portions designed as entry-level sampling formats, along with a five-piece tin pack intended for portability and repeat consumption.

The launch reflects a shift in how premium chocolate brands are structuring their portfolios—moving beyond single-format offerings to multi-tiered product lines that cater to both indulgence and convenience. Such formats can support dessert menus, gifting programs, and in-room offerings, while also enabling upselling through curated experiences.

SMOOR continues to emphasize the use of 100 percent couverture chocolate, highlighting the absence of vegetable fats and a higher cocoa butter content. This positions the brand within a niche that prioritizes product integrity and aligns with global standards for premium chocolate.

"Good chocolate is never made alone," added Sharma, "it's built on trust -between farmers, makers and the people who eventually make our chocolate part of their own stories."

Founded in Bengaluru in 2015, SMOOR started as a small-scale operation focused on making couverture chocolate more accessible in India. The brand has since expanded its footprint while maintaining a vertically integrated production model. With this latest launch, it is aligning itself with the broader industry trend of leveraging local sourcing to create differentiated, high-margin products for both retail and hospitality segments.