Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Aug 7: A lady in the taluk stands out as an example for foraying into a totally new area and finding success in it. Swathi Kallegundi from Bettampady Renja in the taluk, who made use of the lockdown period that came her way, has found happiness and success in her new venture.

Swathi was working under pressure as she had to handle her job, traffic and household chores. She resigned from the company at Bengaluru for which she worked one day, and set up her own business. Now her business has expanded and she is able to employ a few women from her village.

During the lockdown, Swathi came back to her native place along with her husband and child. She found that the cocoa beans which had been grown by her family were about to rot as they could not be marketed on account of lockdown. Swathi and her husband Balasubrahmanya then thought of making chocolates.

Driven by the zeal to become an entrepreneur and to ensure that the cocoa grown at home commands good price, Swathi surfed through the internet about chocolate making. She put together all information like manufacture, technology, quality assurance, licence to manufacture etc. As her husband, Balasubrahmanya, is a mechanical engineer, he helped in finding out necessary machinery, technology etc. Both of them underwent professional training in chocolate making. By using the money they saved during their employment, the couple bought machinery after discussions online and holding consultations.

The 'Bean to Bar' concept is becoming popular the world over in which the manufacturers themselves grow cocoa organically, or by procuring organic cocoa beans, and then making the chocolates themselves. Swathi too used her cocoa beans, manufactured chocolates after processing the cocoa. She also has now employed village women.

Swathi manufactures chocolate under the brand name, 'Anuttama'. She handles all aspects of the chocolate industry run by her. She sells her products through Instagram, Amazon and Facebook. She does not use any chemicals or sugar for the chocolates and instead, makes use of jaggery. This is a dark chocolate which tastes different as compared to normal chocolates. Currently she has demand for 800 bars of chocolates per month and she expects to get increased demand in the coming days.

After starting to make chocolate, Swathi has been inspiring other farmers in the area to grow organic cocoa. She bought cocoa from the farmers nearby at a price higher than the market price. The farmers are also happy. She now makes 14 types of chocolates. To improve the taste of chocolates, she is conducting further research. She draws support from her husband who too conducts study and research for technology development.