T here’s hardly anyone who doesn’t love chocolates. It arouses our passions and tempts our senses like nothing else. Some people take this indulgence further. Kishore George and Jacob Joy juggled disparate careers before surrendering to the charms of chocolate. They turned their love for chocolates into a business reality. Liso (which means smooth in Spanish), their home-grown brand of premium chocolates, has shaken-up the traditional world of Neapolitans, Truffles and Confectionery.
Kishore did his Mechanical Engineering, dabbled in computer graphics, went seriously into quarrying before being bitten by the chocolate bug. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Computer graphics ceased to interest me after a while. Then it was quarrying in Kanyakumari district. Business was good; we put up automated systems making it a model unit. But when things began to get very tough I decided to exit. It was while on a tour of Europe with my family that I had this ‘chocolate moment.’ It was an intuition and I decided to pursue it,” says Kishore, Director, Liso.
Jacob was perhaps closer to chocolates. He was often around at JJ Confectionery Pvt. Ltd, started by his father. “We were into contract manufacturing for big brands like Parry’s and Parle. The very popular candies like Mango Bite and Lacto Bon Bon for instance were made out of our factory at Kolenchery. But I did not want to stick on here,” says Jacob, who did his MBA (Finance) after his B.Com, worked for a short while at manufacturing units before travelling for a management course at ESSEC, Paris. “My mentor here was the vice-president of Toblerone the legendary Swiss chocolates. I also took up a job there. But my father wanted me to come back and take charge as he was by then busy with other things. Reluctantly, I returned.”
While Kishore went ahead with his chocolate dreams, even registered Liso as his brand name, Jacob went to Solingen, Germany, for a diploma in confectionery manufacturing. “Here I was hooked to chocolates. I realised that there was so much science in its creation and that every individual could make a difference,” says Jacob.
By then the hard-boiled candy market was plummeting and though Jacob’s factory was churning out 600 tonnes of sweets they ‘one fine day decided to stop’ this contract manufacturing. “Both of us were, strangely, moving on a tangent but pursuing similar dreams. It required just one meeting for us to come together with Liso. The launch-pad was set up for us. The brand was registered, Jacob’s Jakes Snacks and Foods was already there, the licenses were ready and we had people who had years of experience in confectionery manufacture. Everything fell in place perfectly, even the name of the company. When someone asked us if the name Jakes means Jacob and Kishore, we just laughed,” says Kishore.
From then on Kishore and Jacob travelled the world learning the art of chocolate making, researching the best places to source ingredients, seeking out state-of-the-art machines. Chocolates became a sort of obsession for these two chocolatiers. “Trials began by 2014. From Day One we had decided on a few things that formed the philosophy of our enterprise. We were not going to make compromises on quality of the product, on the ingredients, on packaging, on anything. And this we put it upfront. Those who work in the plant know well that even the slightest damage means dumping it. To provide a perfect Liso experience and to make it different we import the finest base chocolate, strawberries, hazelnuts and orange peels. We don’t cut corners and have roped in the best in every department, from consultancy to packaging,” says Kishore.
Liso was launched with dark milk and white Neapolitans, compact, rich pieces of pure chocolate. Now they have a wide variety, including Neapolitans, Truffles with centre fillings in flavours like caramel, orange, hazelnut and others, chocolate-coated goodies in milk, white and dark chocolate on the outside and a choice of nuts, dried fruits and crispies on the inside and chocolate hazelnut spread, a smooth combination of cream, nuts and fine milk chocolate.
“We intend to keep adding flavours even local flavours like lime-ginger. We are only into our first phase and it has been really encouraging. The recognition we get from those who have tasted our products has been inspiring. Our families, friends, those who have tasted our products, have spread the word and this has helped a great deal in giving us the much-needed exposure. We have outlets at Centre Square and Lulu malls, Pandhal Cake Shop, Panampilly Nagar, Gourmet House, Thevara, Xandari Resorts at Fort Kochi, Thekkady and Mararikulam. We have plans to move across other destinations soon,” says Jacob.
Both Kishore and Jacob believe that chocolates must be a sensory experience. “What we are striving to create is a true chocolate experience with perfect texture, a tempting aroma, the classic snap, the melting that is just right and, of course, the sweet assault on the taste buds. The goal is to see that Liso becomes a brand associated with Kochi. Anyone who comes here must take back, along with other memories, this chocolate experience,” says Kishore.
