Say “YES” to
Chocolates!
"All you need is
love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt", how true!
Chocolates are great companions, in both happiness and sorrow. Being a huge fan
of chocolates and truffles, the meeting with one of the pioneers of the
chocolate industry, Chenddyna Schae came as no less than a blessing to me.
After the usual
pleasantries, I sat down to hear her story. Chenddyna who owns and runs the
very popular “Jus’ Trufs went to
Catering College, Mumbai in the 80s. After graduation, she started her career
at the legendary Taj, Mumbai where she was appointed in the chocolate section.
Though her job involved mostly packaging and wrapping of chocolates, she fell
in love with the aroma and taste of chocolates, also discovering that she had a
natural flair for anything that revolved around chocolates.
After marriage and two
children, the family had to shift to Bangalore. It was heartbreak of sorts for
Chenddyna as she had to leave her
beloved city. But she was firm about not letting go off her first love-
chocolates. So in Bangalore, the IT hub of the country, Chenddyna began her
second tryst with chocolates starting off with a small unit at her home. It was
a small venture with a meagre investment of 10,000 rupees but this was to be
the birth of the much- loved Jus’ Trufs brand.
She chose to retail
with a counter at the Bombay store, M.G road, Bangalore. And the response she
received was in the superlatives. People were delighted to savor her
chocolates. A huge crowd started swarming into the tiny counter and it kept
getting bigger during festive seasons like Diwali, Christmas and New Year
celebrations. When the tiny counter started getting too small for the
burgeoning crowd, she realized that she needed a bigger space for her chocolate
production and her own retail space.
Over the years Jus’
Trufs started getting popular with the corporate crowd for all the
customizations they were willing to do. The brand soon became synonymous with
the term "customised
chocolatiers".
As someone who always
wanted to learn more, Chenddyna took specialized courses in Belgian chocolates
from Singapore. From 2003, she also started importing ingredients from Belgium
and has made many trips to the country
to learn the tricks of the trade.
Moving into a bigger space
was no easy task. The holistic entrepreneur that she is, Chenddyna knew the
importance of creating a brand image is as important as making high quality products. So she and her dedicated
team painstakingly dealt with all aspects
for setting up their own production facility and chocolate cafe in 2011.
Having realized that
there was a niche market for more than chocolates, in North Bangalore she went beyond
the original concept of a chocolaterie
to a relaxed home-style café &
patisserie.
The cafe has seen its
share of evolution too. From just a few variety of sandwiches, the place now
offers a variety of options for a sumptuous lunch or dinner. As I sat at the
cafe relishing a pizza& pasta with some great creamy pesto sauce, I could see why the place was so
heavily favored by connoisseurs. Honestly, I was impressed by the food, the
ambience and most importantly, their service. As you see the distinguished lady
who manages the cafe walking up to the guests, greeting them warmly, offering
suggestions depending on their tastes, you know that Chenddyna has been able to
instill her own passion into the organization's work culture.
Jus’ Trufs not just
feeds you amazing chocolates and delicious food, they are equally keen to
educate you as well. You can join one of their Chocolate Tours and take a walk
around the history of chocolate. Learn the art of making exquisite Belgian
chocolates. Fancy yourself as Mr. Willy Wonka and indulge in the most heavenly
dessert on earth, Chocolates and
chocolate desserts at Jus’ Trufs.