SMOOR bets on experience as India develops a taste for premium chocolate

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TL;DR:

India’s premium chocolate market is evolving from gifting-led indulgence to a category built around ingredients, craftsmanship and experience. SMOOR founder Vimal Sharma says consumer awareness is no longer the main hurdle; delivering consistent quality at scale increasingly is.

Article:

India’s premium chocolate market is entering a more demanding phase. Consumers who once needed convincing to pay more for chocolate are increasingly judging brands on cocoa quality, origin, craftsmanship and experience, forcing premium players such as SMOOR to compete on substance rather than packaging alone.

The shift matters because premium chocolate is becoming a meaningful growth segment in India. Grand View Research estimates the Indian premium chocolate market generated $313.5 million in 2024 and could reach $481.2 million by 2029, an 8.9% compound annual growth rate. Dark chocolate is expected to be the fastest-growing product segment.

SMOOR founder and CEO Vimal Sharma argues that the consumer conversation has already advanced. “Today’s consumer is more exposed and more willing to engage with origin, ingredients, and process,” he said in a July 2026 interview. The challenge, he added, is increasingly consistency at scale, particularly when working with cacao whose flavour and quality can vary with farming and post-harvest conditions.

That change is also reshaping how chocolate brands build demand. SMOOR opened a consumer-facing chocolate experience centre in Bengaluru in 2026, combining production with factory tours, chocolate-making and brand experiences. Around World Chocolate Day, it extended that approach through SMOORLAND, an immersive event built around tasting, making and discovering chocolate rather than simply buying it.

Sharma’s bet predates the current premiumisation cycle. “When we launched SMOOR in 2015, many believed India was too price sensitive for premium chocolate,” he has written. His thesis was that rising exposure to global food culture would lift expectations around quality and experience.

The opportunity is therefore larger than selling costlier bars. Brands that can explain provenance, control quality and turn chocolate into a credible experience stand to benefit. Those relying mainly on premium-looking packaging may find India’s increasingly informed chocolate buyer harder to impress.