Mad about chocolate, Kolkata’s Madhumita launches her chocolate making venture
As a child, Madhumita Upadhayay, dreamt of a world made of chocolates; and today her world revolves round them. In Bengali, the name Madhumita literally translates to ‘sweet-mate’; and she certainly has a ‘sweet’ demeanour to her personality. Like most children, for her too, a bar of chocolate was the best reward she could get. With her seven month-old enterprise -Madchocolates – she is now returning the favour to all of us chocolate-lovers.
“A madness for chocolates is inherent within me. They were my weakness, and my loving dad indulged me with a bar of chocolate every day, in spite of my mother being totally against the idea. Somewhere in my growing-up days the dream of making chocolates got buried deep in my heart,” recounts Madhumita, who left her 18 year old profession as a PR executive, to start Madchocolates.
Though naturally inclined towards making all types of confections, she has further honed her skills before plunging full time into chocolate making. With great fervour, Madhumita talks about her journey as a chocolate maker: “I was always passionate about cooking; especially, baking. One of my friends was taking a baking class and she asked me to join her. She also had a one-day chocolate making session to attend as a part of the course. My love for chocolates drove me to attend both the classes; purely as a time-pass. However, God probably had something else in his mind. The first time I made chocolates at home and displayed it on Facebook, my friends went gaga over them. One of them even took it seriously, and forced me to make 50 boxes of chocolates for her son’s forthcoming birthday. It was on 31st January, 2015, that my first order was delivered.”
‘Madhumita, you have to do this professionally because they are awesome in taste and texture’ – was the feedback she got from her first attempt at chocolate making. “I was not yet fully convinced, but my friend was. She had faith in me, and her persistent encouragement made me think about it seriously. Then I went in for a professional course in chocolate making,” divulges the lady chocolatier.
The child, who had once wanted to make a world of chocolates, started working towards it, and today, Madchocolates churns out a plethora of items made of chocolate – cups, bowls, spoons, plates, cars,
crayons, bags, shoes, hand-fans, etc., to name a few. The journey of Madchocolates started with its first order in January, but the actual work began in March. Speaking about the uniqueness of her products, Madhumita says, “Our products are made using the best quality raw material (all imported) and without the addition of any chemicals. It is fully handmade and a stringent quality control is maintained all through.”Madhumita’s biggest critics are children; and all her products are tasted and certified by the little ones! “I take the feedback of children; and believe me, they are the best critics. They never hesitate to give an honest feedback. In the last six months they have really helped me in developing my product,” says Madhumita. Buoyed by all the appreciation she received, Madhumita showcased her creations in an exhibition, this August. “The innovative products were hugely appreciated, and people compared my products with Hershey’s!” informs Madhumita, teeming with joy.
Our lady chocolatier is a perfectionist, and she herself designed the logo for her brand – ‘a smiley lost in the world of chocolates’. Madhumita has her sister, Haimanti, by her side in this new venture; and she is also a co-founder. The creative part – packaging, etc. is handled by Haimanti, while Madhumita looks after business development and manufacturing. Madhumita signs off by saying, “At present I am totally into developing and establishing the product and the brand. I hope, in future, they will be available on the shelves of all the super markets. I am extremely passionate about whatever I do, and right now, rearing this baby is my only work.”