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Bliss, an attempt to break out of the norms & monotony of the Indian chocolate market
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Tuesday, 16 November, 2010, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Bliss Chocolates Pvt. Ltd is a self funded private limited company with its production and retail operations in Bangalore. Its two divisions-Retail and Corporate- have managed to stir the chocolate cravings of the consumers. Bliss is an attempt to break out of the norms and monotony of the Indian chocolate market and re- energise the sweet tooth of the customers,” Supreet Garla, managing director and Vimal Sharma, director, Bliss Chocolates Pvt. Ltd, tell Nandita Vijay in an email interaction. Excerpts:
How did you conceive the concept of Chocolate Bliss? Why was Bangalore selected as the location for setting up the outlet?
Bliss chocolate concept arrived from the group of non resident Indians (NRIs) from Australia. They felt there was no chocolate lounge concept in India. Passion for chocolates led them to open an outlet in India. There were many reasons to choose Bangalore, like existence of corporate companies, lower set up cost and network in Bangalore was familiar compared to other cities for the NRIs. In the retail segment, Bliss Chocolate and Dessert Lounge are designed as premium category to offer a variety of hand crafted chocolate, chocolate beverages, cakes, desserts and chocolate meals.
The Bliss Lounge will be seen as the ultimate chocolate destination in India. The corporate division caters to the supply of premium chocolates and products to corporate houses including clients from sectors such as hotels, airlines and software companies to name a few. We also have plans to become a wholesale distributor of premium chocolates and associated ingredients in India.
“Bliss” has three outlets in the country located in Bangalore. Its two concepts are “Bliss Lounge” and “Bliss Luxe.”
While Bliss Lounge is at the Mantri Mall, Malleshwaram and Forum Value Mall, Whitefield, the Bliss Luxe Lounge with its premium products it at the UB City Mall.
What is the marketing strategy for the outlets?
Bliss chocolates need to be appreciated and acknowledged. It is important for us to edify people on chocolates. We are doing chocolate appreciation event, soft launches in our outlets. Recently we did a corporate lounge in Bliss Luxe inviting master chocolateers. We do a lot of sampling when new products are launched. Shortly our corporate catalogue will be designed to focus more on corporate orders.
Where are the ingredients sourced from?
Our chocolate raw materials are from Callebout from Belgium which is the leading supplier of chocolates in the world. The finest cream cheese/ butter and base mixes incorporated into the chocolates are all imported from France from Elle & Vire.
McCain has partnered with us to provide snack products such as Mozzarella Cheese Sticks imported from the USA together with the finest wedges/fries and also chilly cheese poppers. They also have helped us with some Indian flavours such as the tandori nuggets, masala fries. They do R&D in our kitchen to develop products with us.
How many products are in the range? Which are the fastest growing in the range?
There are around 28 different flavours of chocolates, 12 different types of plated desserts and 8 varieties of luxury cakes.The most popular in chocolates are the Almond Sensation, Rich Dark. As far as our pastries are concerned our signature products like Opera, Carol of Oceans and Royal Red Velvet are very much in demand.
Where are the products manufactured and is there any novel production technology adopted in making the chocolates range exclusive?
All the chocolates are manufactured in our state-of-the-art production kitchen /factory in Bangalore at Konena Agrahara. The production plant has a capacity to produce 7,500 chocolates a day alongside premium cakes, desserts and gourmet breads. Tampering of chocolate is novel so we use chocolate melting tanks in a controlled environment. These give the shine, the taste and the flavour to our chocolates. To ensure superior quality of our products, our kitchen has been fitted out with world class machinery imported from Europe, Taiwan and China. Tools like moulds are from Pavoni Ltd in Italy. Chocolate pebbles and blocks are imported from Barry Callebeaut in Belgium.
What kind of investments have gone in for setting this up and how many more are planned for Bangalore?
Investments have gone in for the infrastructure which includes factory and three lounges. The machines are brought from Germany and moulds are imported from Pavoni (Italy) and our dairy products are imported from Elle &Virre (France). We have invested in our machines, moulds, raw materials to match with the international standards. We have invested significantly in building the brand too in addition to the product development and human resources.
We are in the process of hunting places in cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai. In the next six months we will be opening our outlets in Chennai and Hyderabad. In the second half of the 2011, we should expand it to Mumbai.
What are the likely future investments being planned?
We would be planning more outlets in the coming year. More products are yet to be introduced in Bliss Chocolate Lounge. Future investment in the next 12 to 18 months exceeds Rs 10 crore.
What according to you are the key strengths of the outlets Lounge and Luxe?
The main strength for the Bliss Chocolate Lounge to succeed is its people. We have several consultants across the world who have spent considerable time in India to impart the knowledge and skills to our staff. Hence it is through the people that we have been able to deliver a quality product.
Having reliable and reputable international partners such as Callebout, Elle &Virre, Pavoni etc., have allowed us to offer the chocolates and the ambience which have created a unique selling proposition.
Is there a competition in this space?
In Bangalore, we don’t have any competition. When we will launch in other cities then there might be direct/indirect competition. But the key is that we have structured a strong foundation. Our systems are well designed and the state-of-the-art kitchen combined with our lounges, help as some of our key strengths. .
How would you describe the scene for chocolate outlets in India and globally?
In countries like Europe, Australia, demand is growing at the rate of 30% every year. India right now is behind by 2 or 3% in the chocolate market. But now the Indian consumers want to enjoy gourmet products with their families in a favourable ambience. Customers are discerning. This is where Bliss Chocolate lounge is designed to provide the right environment where the chocolates can be enjoyed and savored.
What according to you are the visible trends? Any effort to introduce the diet versions in an age of health conscious consumers?
It is a known fact that dark chocolate is good for health. So we do have a number of varieties of rich dark chocolates & sugar free chocolates.
What are the challenges for companies like Bliss to succeed in the market ?
In India, sweets are more dominant. Gifting sweets during festival or celebration is a tradition in India. It is an attempt to break out of the norms and monotony of the Indian sweet and chocolate market. The idea is to provide an elegant environment. Our growth is going to be aggressive. We intend to have around 80 outlets in the next 5 years .The challenge is to maintain
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