Deep, dark secrets

Jalebis dipped in chocolate, gulab jamun wrapped around a cocoa surprise, the premium Valrhona chocolate, this unique club offers it all

The Aztecs loved their chocolate and so did the ancient Mayans. In fact, the word 'chocolate' itself has origins in the ancient Aztec language, Nahuatl. Cacahuâtl or xocolâtl, meaning cacao water, was a popular beverage consumed in ancient times. Over time, the spelling has evolved from chocolatall, jocolatte, jacolatte and chockelet, the way we pronounce it has changed, the ways of preparing and consuming it has witnessed drastic transformations, but one thing that hasn't changed is the sheer love for chocolate. "Chocolate connects people. There might be one in 5,000 people who doesn't like it," says 28-year-old Ruchi Chopra who runs the ASAP Chocolate Club based out of Mumbai and Delhi. The club is an extension of her gifting consultancy, Any Surprise Any Place (ASAP).

Through her club, Chopra promises a surprise every week. As a member, you get to explore a range of tastes, secret blends, gourmet creations and unusual pairings. "Each recipient gets a box of 20 pieces complete with a note, history of the chocolate and trivia. Each note just adds to the four-part story that we create around the box," explains Chopra. The story might revolve around a love angle created at the request of a wife for her husband or a cute surprise planned by a father for his daughter. One member had ordered a box for her husband who was unwell. The boxes came with notes about health and humourous anecdotes that brought a smile to his face. "Once we had created a box for a girl whose first word had been chocolate," smiles Chopra.

The club offers three variants as part of the monthly subscription. The Indian chocolate hamper costs Rs 3,200, while the combination of Belgian and American chocolate box costs around Rs 5,200. However, if you wish to savour the single origin chocolate, then opt for the hamper which costs Rs 8,400. For the first two weeks, each box is paired with complimentary cookies, brownies and cupcakes. "If the boxes are meant as a gift for a friend or a relative, we usually ask the member if the person is a dark chocolate person or a white chocolate person. So the first box is usually a dark chocolate hamper, the next one will be a dark chocolate brownie box and so on and so forth. The idea is for the chocolate connoisseur to completely enjoy the experience," says Chopra who delivers to members across seven cities - Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur and Chandigarh.

Of the 220 members that the club currently has, most order chocolates for gifting. "However, there are 20 to 25 members who order these gourmet creations for themselves," says Chopra. In the past, she has created some unusual pairings as well such as Jalebis dipped in melted chocolate. "For one member, we created a gulab jamun with a gooey chocolate centre," she adds.

Chopra, a graduate from National Institute of Fashion Technology, left her job with GAP to start her gifting consultancy in 2007. "I realised that Delhi, even though it's the capital of India, did not offer options to send a customised, well-thought-out gift to make someone feel special," she says. People were still opting for "run-of-the-mill gifting options" such as flowers and cakes. "We are trying to discourage this practice. A gift ought to have shock value. It needs to make you sit up and take notice," says Arora, "Hopefully the chocolate club and customised gifts will brighten up people's lives."