Howrah’s Rushdah Humaira: Bengal’s first bean-to-bar chocolate maker – GetBengal story

Whenever we think of premium chocolate, Belgium comes to mind—the world’s top-tier confectionery hub. The largest exporters of cocoa beans to Belgium are Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Ecuador. In Asia, the top chocolate producer is Malaysia. But many do not know that India produces one of the world's best-quality cocoas.

Chocolatier Rushdah Humaira has her very own indigenous chocolate brand, Rushk. She is the first and only Bengali to manufacture bean-to-bar chocolates. Rushdah insists that it is a pity that people are not yet aware that India is one of the largest cocoa-producing countries in the world.

Today, cocoa is grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Rushdah started her chocolate manufacturing operations in 2020, but she faced a major challenge in the same year because of the pandemic, and her venture failed to take off due to lockdown. Undaunted by the initial failure, she took a brief hiatus and made a comeback in 2024. For Rushdah, chocolate making is her passion. She enjoys her labour of love.

Rushdah has studied hotel management and is closely associated with the food industry. “I worked at a bakery, where I would use chocolates manufactured by different reknowned international brands available in the market for baking purposes, but my search for a premium Indian brand was futile. I found out that no Indian company was acquiring their cocoa directly from local farms, and if there were a few, I found their prices to be exorbitant. This made me research the issue myself. I gathered ample information, and based on that, I started my own chocolate brand.”

She says, “Cocoa beans are the main ingredient in the production of chocolate. We procure the beans from different farms, buying them directly from the farmers. The chocolate production process consists of fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding of cocoa beans, mixing of all ingredients (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifiers, aroma, and milk components if needed), conching, and tempering. Chocolate is made from the seeds of beans, and cocoa tea is made from the husks.” She says she uses only organic cocoa powder, cocoa beans, and cocoa butter.

Rushdah is firm about procuring indigenous cocoa beans produced by local farmers in India. She aspires to popularise Indian chocolates globally. Cocoa cannot be cultivated everywhere. Cocoa trees grow exclusively in areas that meet certain specific conditions. The soil has to be fairly loose, and the climate has to be humid. Temperatures must be between 18 and 30 degrees Celsius, with a precipitation constant of at least 1,000 mm per year. Cocoa trees must not receive too much sun or too much shade. 

The chocolate-making process starts with passing the cocoa beans through a machine that removes dried cocoa pulp, pieces of pod, and other extraneous material. To bring out the characteristic chocolate aroma, we then roast the beans. Cocoa fruit has a hard shell. The objective of roasting and cracking is to separate the husks from the seeds. As the beans turn over and over, their moisture content drops, and the colour changes to a rich brown. The cocoa beans are quickly cooled, and their thin shells, which have become brittle by roasting, are removed. A giant winnowing machine is used to crack rather than crush the beans. This is done through a vacuum-driven machine. Then the seeds are ground, which requires three to four days of intense labour. It takes at least 72 hours to make chocolate.

Rushdah's chocolate manufacturing unit is set on the ground floor of her residence in Santragachhi, Howrah. Rushdah says she was yearning to do something on her own, and this inspired her to venture into the professional world of chocolate manufacturing. She says she is indebted to her in-laws, who have always been supportive and have been her pillar of strength throughout. “I can continue to work because they always encourage me."

Rushdah conducts her entire chocolate business online. The products available under her brand Rashq include dark chocolates and flavoured chocolates, as well as cocoa tea. She is the only one who sells cocoa tea in India. “Completely organic, cocoa tea is made from the husk or skin of the cocoa bean. This tea is very healthy, full of antioxidants like green tea. I also manufacture cocoa powder and make custom chocolates for bakers.” 

Rushdah is eager to expand her business, but she wants to go slow on that. At present, she is contemplating a joint business with the local cafes. Talking about her plans, she says, “I don't think it would be wise to open a cafe now just for one product. However, I do have plans to open a cafe that will exclusively showcase chocolate and chocolate-based products in the future.”

Climatic changes have affected cocoa production considerably. Due to the severe heat wave this year, cocoa prices have increased tenfold. Cocoa beans, which were available for anything between Rs. 300 and 400, now cost between Rs. 2000 and Rs. 4000. This has caused Rushdah to downsize her production.

Rushdah says, "I used to make a batch of one kilo chocolates for Rs 800-900, but now it costs Rs 3,000 to 4,000. It is not at all cost-effective for customers now. Climate change has affected the entire agricultural sector in an adverse way. This year, for instance, due to a shortage of rainfall and unexpected temperatures, the quality of beans has been impacted."

All the brand names that we think of when we think of chocolate in India—the ones that the majority of people identify as chocolate—contain a nominal amount of chocolate. These companies use cocoa imported from other countries. It is a pity that our own country’s resources are not utilised instead. Many brands use chocolate essence and dupe customers. Finding ‘pure’ and premium chocolate in India is near impossible.

There is still a lack of awareness about chocolate quality among Indians. Rushdah is consciously working to bridge this knowledge gap. Dubbed a new generation ‘Chocolate Activist', her chocolate business is gradually turning into a 'chocolate movement', which aims to dispel people's ignorance and help them choose pure, healthy, and organic chocolate conscientiously.