Manam Chocolate features in TIME’s list of ‘World’s Greatest Places 2024’

Owner Chaitanya Muppala is also known for his confectionary pedigree as his family owns Hyderabad`s beloved Almond House. Photo Courtesy: Manam Chocolate

Indian craft chocolate brand Manam Chocolate from Hyderabad has featured on TIME's World's Greatest Places 2024, which highlights 100 extraordinary destinations to visit and stay.

Owner Chaitanya Muppala is known for his confectionary pedigree as his family owns Hyderabad's beloved Almond House, which has been making traditional sweetmeats in the city for decades. With Manam Chocolate, Muppala takes the family tradition forward to contemplate the future of Indian craft chocolate. In contrast to Swiss and Belgian chocolates, which are widely seen as the gold standard, "we have an origin story here," he says. Manam works closely with farmers and fermenters in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district to put Indian-grown cacao on the global stage. And the world is taking notice: In less than a year, the brand has already earned accolades from the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting and U.K.'s Academy of Chocolate.

Inside Muppala's chocolate factory, set on a busy road in Hyderabad's Banjara Hills, walls are stocked with beautifully packaged bars in flavours like chai biscuit and pistachio fudge alongside stacks of curry leaf shortbread biscuits and almond praline clusters; croissants are baked, toasted coconut macarons are assembled, and chakkarakeli banana soft serve is swirled into cones, all in front of starry-eyed visitors. Downstairs, Manam's airy, glass-walled atrium café serves all things sweet and savory at tables clustered around a cacao tree, which pays tribute to the real star of Manam's story. "Each bar has the name of the farmer on it," he says. "I know which tree this cacao comes from, I know the farmer, I've had lunch with him."

To compile this list, TIME solicited nominations of places - including hotels, cruises, restaurants, attractions, museums, parks, and more-from its international network of correspondents and contributors, as well as via an application process, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.

"We launched Manam Chocolate a little under a year ago with the mission to offer a craft chocolate experience from India, by Indians, for the world. We are humbled to be recognised on a list of global prestige so early in our journey. Being on the TIME annual list of the World's Greatest Places 2024 - amongst some of the best and most exciting places on earth, is a huge honour for us at Manam Chocolate. It is not just an honour we take seriously but a commitment we make to continue our efforts to build the best craft chocolate experience for the world, from India". said Chaitanya Muppala, founder, Manam Chocolate & CEO Distinct Origins.