Manam Chocolate Karkhana, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad: A whole new world of chocolate confections

HYDERABAD: The brand’s first flagship retail experience, Manam Chocolate Karkhana is a one-of-its-kind immersive space spread over 10,000 sq. ft. in the heart of Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Seamlessly bringing together retail and the craft of chocolate-making and chocolatiering under one roof, this space invites you to immerse yourself and discover, explore, and interact with cacao and chocolate in all its interpretations and forms. 

Retail There are countless ways to enjoy chocolate. At the Manam Chocolate Karkhana, you can experience just how many. Discover the endless possibilities of Indian Cacao, expressed through the expansive retail section.  

Live Chocolate Making Revel in the sights, sounds, and aromas as Manam’s chocolate makers craft a range of signature couvertures right before your eyes. Witness the magical transformation of raw cacao beans into smooth, luscious chocolate, as it goes through roasting, winnowing, grinding, refining, conching, tempering, and moulding. 

 Chocolaterie Delight in the sight of Manam’s chocolatiers artfully crafting a world of unique confections from the indulgent bonbons, truffles, and nama to the snackable barks and clusters, to Manam’s range of cakes and entremets. Ask for a taste of any chocolate confection that catches your eye. 

Chocolate Lab Get creative with flavours and express yourself by creating your very own delicious chocolate tablets. Carry home your unique chocolate interpretations in packaging personalised just for you, a unique make-your-own chocolate experience. Choose from a range of flowing origin chocolates on tap and embellish them with toppings such as Kashmiri Walnuts and Freeze-dried Strawberries and share your unique creations with your friends and family.

 Manam Classroom Learn more about fine-flavoured Indian Cacao and craft chocolate through nuggets of knowledge programs and workshops. Educate yourself, engage with other chocolate enthusiasts and have inspired tastings, and enjoy more nuanced experiences with chocolate. 

Manam Cafe An all-day casual dining space where chocolate meets specialty coffees made with signature blends from Indian coffee beans. Its café-style, global comfort food is reimagined using local ingredients and flavours inspired by India. Find yourself basking in the flora from the farms, with the Cacao tree at the heart of the cafe, and other flora from the farm along the periphery of the cafe. 

An Interactive Journey to the Origin Take a journey with the magical Indian Cacao. An interactive digital experience, it takes you back to the farms and through all the stages of crafting the fine-flavoured Indian Cacao bean, from cacao harvesting, pod-breaking, fermenting, drying, and sorting to eventual bagging of the beans.

Manam Cafe: Where Cacao Meets Coffee Meets Cuisine

Manam Café – where expertly crafted specialty coffee is paired with cacao and chocolate experiences. Where cacao, coffee, and cuisine come together to celebrate the story of Manam Chocolate. As you walk into the open courtyard, the scent of chocolate and specialty coffee envelops your senses. The Theobroma Cacao Tree is at the heart of the space, a nod to the origin story, while flora commonly intercropped with cacao in the West Godavari region, such as areca nut, coconut, banana, and long pepper surround it.

It’s meant to give the experience of being in a cacao farm and represents their role in contributing to the nuanced flavours of Manam Chocolate, through shared terroir. Regional heritage is reflected in this space from the concave terracotta tiles to the 150-year-old wooden pillars that hold up the coffee station on a hand-chiselled terrazzo stone floor. Guests can indulge in expertly crafted specialty coffee and beverages, chosen for their origin, and fermentation and brewing techniques.

The menu features, along with classics, signature beverages that showcase the craft employed by Manam Chocolate. From a Cold Drip Cacao Nitro, that is made by steeping coffee through Single Origin Cacao resulting in a buttery smooth mouthfeel to Caramelized White Chocolate Mocha, the coffee menu is an exercise in creating comforting drinks at the crossroads of two great craft crops. The food is curated to evoke comfort and nostalgia, with a focus on celebrating the origin of ingredients.

Millet Tacos, Kheema Bunny Chow and Chicken Liver on Toast are some signature shareable plates that accompany more wholesome offerings like the Signature Manam Breakfast and single origin chocolate paired with waffles, pancakes and French toast made with house-baked bread. While guests can choose from over a dozen different origin hot chocolates or coffee beverages with a selection of global and Indian comfort food, they also get to view the live chocolate-making process and experience the artistry and craftsmanship in creating the many offerings from Manam Chocolate.

Design Concept: A Journey into Indian Craft Chocolate

The Manam Chocolate Karkhana is situated in an old house which has been transformed to tell Manam Chocolate’s story. The Karkhana’s structure and the greenery surrounding it are all a nod to the indigenous trees and materials found in the West Godavari regions. The design concept juxtaposes three distinct characteristics: the rawness of cacao, the art of chocolate-making, and the characteristics of the origin. Chocolate is the muse everywhere. The entrance to the Karkhana starts with the facade replicating Manam’s tablets and one enters through the doorway placed in between the tablets.

The design concept juxtaposes three distinct characteristics: the rawness of cacao, the art of chocolate-making, and the characteristics of the origin. To reflect this, a grounded palette of honest and textural materials was carefully chosen. Wood represents the verticality of trees, weathered steel pays tribute to hand tools and the industrial process, and artistic hand-casted floors resemble walking on leaves. Traditional concave terracotta roof tiles, repurposed architectural columns, and indigenous stones bring a glimpse of their Indian origin, reinterpreted in a contemporary manner to convey a sense of time and craftsmanship.

The fluid forms within the space reflect the smoothness of chocolate. Moving through the retail area, visitors embark on a journey through the chocolate-making process, ultimately reaching the café. The café environment is reminiscent of the farm, with tactile materials, hand-crafted furniture, and carefully selected lighting. A central cacao tree becomes the focal point around which customers gather to enjoy their cup of hot chocolate.

Video screens seamlessly integrate the farm-to-confection concept, while a tablet collection wall serves as a window into the chocolate-making process, from allowing customers to observe the bean roasting, to the creation of chocolate tablets. Decals on the glass offer insights into the journey from raw cacao to the finished product. By seamlessly integrating the production process within the retail environment, Manam Chocolate Karkhana stays true to its origins while inviting customers on an immersive journey into the world of Indian Craft Chocolate.