Kerala-based chocolate brand Paul & Mike recently made India proud on the world stage. It created history by becoming the first Indian brand to win a gold medal at the International Chocolate Awards. Paul & Mike’s Milk Chocolate Coated Salted Capers won first place in the ‘Milk Chocolate Enrobed Whole Fruit’ category. The brand also won a bronze medal in the category ‘Milk Chocolate Bar with Inclusions or Pieces’ for its Pistachio and Idukki Cardamom Chocolate. The gold medal winning chocolate represents an interesting confluence of the eastern and western regions of India. As the company notes, it’s made using “capers and salt coming from the barren lands of Tuticorin on the east coast and cocoa coming from the lush Western Ghats.” The brand has tied up with Ishka Farms for three years to develop this product.
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How was the award-winning chocolate created?
Chocolate makers purchase freshly harvested organic capers of the smallest size (Lilliput capers). The company says the capers taste “like olives but with the addition of mustard and black pepper, it has a more lemony flavor.” These are sent to the factory to be put in salt solution. The salt used in it is also special. It is obtained from the salt deposits of Tuticorin. Paul and Mike’s partner, Ishka Farms, uses a custom recipe for salty capers to get the balance of pungent and salty notes just right. The salty capers are then coated with in-house milk chocolate. The company explains, “As soon as you bite into the crunchy caper and the chocolate melts on your tongue, you get flavors ranging from umami to salty, acidic to chocolatey, and a long finish.”
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More about Paul and Mike:
Paul and Mike are known for producing high-quality, single-origin chocolate straight from bean to bar. They source their cocoa beans from their own farms in Kerala and Coimbatore, as well as from other progressive farmers in India. Their chocolate manufacturing unit is located in Kochi. The company takes pride in prioritizing cocoa beans with exceptional flavor profiles rather than just high yields. Paul and Mike have won many awards on the world stage for their products. For example, in last year’s edition of the International Chocolate Awards, Paul & Mike’s Gin & Ginger Dark Chocolate was ranked 9th best in the world. This was a real milestone as no other Indian company had managed to make the top 10 before. Click here to read more.
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More about the International Chocolate Awards:
The International Chocolate Awards is an initiative of the IICCT (International Institute of Chocolate and Cocoa Tasting). Paul and Mike were among the winners of the 2024 World Finals competition, one of the major competitions held annually. The judging panel consisted of approximately fifty “specially selected professional judges” from around the world, as well as several IICCT alumni and other experts and members of the award’s international Grand Jury Panel.
