Chocolatez

We’ve been tucked away here at Padmaja Tower in Andheri West for a good bit now. It’s a busy corner of E Block on 13th Main, and honestly, some days the traffic outside is enough to make you want to stay inside with the chocolate all day. That’s pretty much what we do. It’s not a big corporate operation with fancy machines everywhere. Most of the time it’s just us back there dealing with the heat from the melters and trying to make sure the tempering goes right. It’s funny how much the weather in Mumbai messes with sugar and cocoa. Some mornings the humidity is so high we just have to wait it out. People come in from the 2nd Stage area, usually looking for something quick on their way home. The shop isn’t huge, and sometimes the boxes pile up near the door when we get a big delivery of supplies. We don’t have a big marketing team or anything like that. It’s just the same few faces you’ll see every time you walk in. We spend a lot of time cleaning up spills because chocolate gets everywhere once you start working with it. If you’re walking past B 603, you’ll probably smell us before you see the sign. It’s a lot of work, and my hands are usually covered in something by noon, but it’s what we do here in this little spot. We just keep the doors open and the chocolate melting every single day.