Amidst the cacophony of chocolate shops in town, here is a refreshing breath of fresh – no chocolatey air! ChocoTal’s has been in town since the last six years merging “Oman’s rich cultural heritage with cutting-edge anti-ageing advancements to craft deliciously healthy chocolates”, as its master chocolatier, TALAL AL AUJAILI explained to Black & White.
Purest ingredients and spices
Talal also notes in his promotion materials on how the world is “alarmed by viral epidemics”. “The resistance to viruses relies on immunity. Healthy nutrition has a direct effect on immune defence. We produce our chocolates from the purest ingredients and spices,” he said.
Supercharge immune system
ChocoTal’s chocolates provide the body with nutrients to support a healthy lifestyle, help supercharge the immune system, Talal Aujaili said. “Since 2019, our commitment and enthusiasm have fuelled our pursuit of excellence in our craft, focusing on the balance between taste and consistency in each exceptional creation,” he said. Crafted with care, the healthy element in their chocolates make them all the more sought after.
For Talal, crafting and creating these healthy chocolates is something that he not only loves, but also helped him create a brand new life, far from the storms of his past
Excerpts:
What is ChocoTal’s all about?
ChocoTal’s is an Omani artisan production, and SME member. It came into existence in 2019 by merging Oman’s rich cultural heritage with cutting-edge, anti-ageing advancements to craft deliciously healthy chocolates.ChocoTal’s is a superfood chocolate brand, which is meant for mindful eaters!
You are a young Omani and your story could prove to be an inspiring tale to many other young men and women, on how a young Omani youth has launched a successful chocolate brand?
I am a graduate of the Art College in Cambridge. However, I encountered some difficulties there. During my tenure at the college, I suffered an assault, the effect of which took many years to heal. Thanks to my mother, who gave me unconditional love and support, I slowly healed. My mother, Dr Anna Rajab, is a senior consultant in medicine and medical genetics with interest in anti-ageing strategies. She not only helped me get back on my feet, but she is also ChocoTal’s adviser on health supporting recipes. Our wellness-improving formulas, hygiene and production techniques are overseen by my mother. Our expertise lies in meticulously creating award-winning specialty confections that elevate chocolate to unparalleled levels of excellence. We handcraft our products using high-quality, sustainable Belgian cacao, and locally grown ingredients. My aim is to provide a ‘pleasure without guilt’ superfood, which tastes great and at the same time supports health and wellbeing.
And, since its launch, how has this venture been faring? How has this ‘chocolatey’ adventure turned out to be?
Since the time we have embarked on our journey, we are constantly building up and updating our professional skills. We are perfecting our recipes, experimenting with a range of health promoting spices, improving our technical skills, our presentation and our packaging. The best responses we have witnessed are from semi-senior and senior citizens; health-conscious professionals and sport lovers.
Is ChocoTal’s a fairly known name in the market by now? Has the brand captured the right taste of Muscat’s sweet-toothed crowd? Is it a successful brand and a success story?
From the beginning, we followed a policy where we studiously avoided competing with other chocolate producers. We never tried to be one up on someone else or attempted to be famous. We also know the dangers of instant fame. As we said earlier, we are totally driven to produce and provide a healthy and rejuvenating product for those who treasure health and wellbeing.
For the uninitiated, what exactly is a ‘healthy’ chocolate? Does it mean that it tastes differently, or perhaps, less sweet? Does the fact that it is a ‘healthy’ chocolate take away the mystique and the ‘sinful’ temptation of indulging in the sweet world of chocolates?
The healthiest form of chocolates – dark chocolates — are the ones that contain the least sugar and, because of its cocoa content, higher levels of substances that protect the wellbeing. Our comprehensive range is devoid of white sugar, corn starch, dairy, gluten, palm oil, and preservatives. We incorporate locally sourced dates, lime, spices, and frankincense to produce delectable and health-boosting dark chocolate blends.
Let me explain the benefits of unsweetened Cacao: It is one of the highest antioxidant foods on earth containing polyphenols, catechins, and proanthocyanidins. These offer neuroprotective, cardioprotective, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and have many other benefits. Moreover, Cacao is rich in essential minerals. It is a natural mood booster and it is fitted with a ‘bliss molecule’ (anandamide), which stimulates feelings of pleasure and well-being.
The young generation may be able to enjoy all kinds of nutrients. But, sugar, palm oil, milk powder, colorants and preservatives may not be tolerated well by sensitive individuals. Sportsmen and women are also aware that sugar reduces their performance and therefore they prefer sugar-free products. Healthy chocolates do not lose their mystique and are enjoyed by all, especially the health conscious. As far as the sweet taste is concerned, we provide that with some alternatives to sugar. These are the plant sources like pomegranates, chico fruits, date pectin, natural honey, or novel sweet-tasting ingredients, which do not get absorbed but just pass through the gut. The optimal dose of dark chocolate is 30 to 40 grams per day. Having more does not offer additional advantages.
Tell us – in brief — the secret of your brand’s success?
For us, success lies in producing a quality product, which is both enjoyable and health enhancing. Our motto is ‘Pleasure without Guilt’. And by that yardstick, I guess we have been successful.
Who does not love chocolates, but for many, despite their longing, they are wary and try to clear themselves of this ‘chocolatey’ trap. Your comments.
The ‘chocolatey’ trap, the heaviness and thirst are mostly due to sugar, corn syrup, milk products, palm oil, preservatives, and colorants. Our chocolates are devoid of these ingredients.
Is this brand the sole healthy chocolates’ brand in the market in Oman or are there plenty? Is competition rife in this segment of the chocolate market here?
Most of the big brands produce sugar free chocolates. My advice is that every buyer should take the trouble to read the contents’ list whenever they purchase chocolates. As for ChocoTal’s, we do not try to compete, or stand out from the crowd. As I had noted earlier, we are not in the competitive race. All that we are bothered about is to produce healthy and good quality chocolates that buyers appreciate.
Was it the need to stand out from the crowd or, was it because there was a definite market for it — as there could be far and few healthy chocolates available in the market other than the ubiquitous ‘dark’ chocolates – that motivated and pushed you to give your best to this venture?
As you are aware, there is always a definite market for healthy foods in any country. We made an innovative step to include health-enhancing ingredients and spices named currently as ‘functional food’, and these potentiate the goodness of dark chocolate.
How many chocolates are being made in a day and what type of chocolates are they?
Currently we are getting specific orders over and above the regular ones. We are able to cater to this demand by producing four to six pounds of chocolates per day. The preferred spices are frankincense, pomegranate, saffron, lime, green tea, green coffee bean and black seed. We get both personal and some corporate orders too.
How do you market this brand? Do you have a YouTube or Tik Tok channel? Are you good with social media?
We entered into marketing by roping in TBC, a top-notch advertising company. We are currently with Three Ways Advertising, and present on Instagram and WhatsApp.
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