Join us, behind the scenes at JusTrufs, as we choose the best, for you! As a Master Chocolatier with over two decades of experience, the importance of sourcing the finest ingredients has always of paramount importance. In an industry where taste, texture, and quality make or break you, every decision made in selecting materials directly impacts the final product. Sourcing the right ingredients is not just about finding whats availableits about finding the best.When I started JusTrufs in 2001, from our home kitchen, we were a small, home-made chocolate brand with an emphasis on Corporate and Seasonal Gifting. I was new to the city. I did not know anybody. But somehow, people were very helpful and would point me to the right direction. I found a very good, reliable source for my chocolates, Mrs. Meena Punwani. She was an institution, and a one stop shop for a lot of good ingredients. We are ever grateful to her and her husband for all the help along the way. So, whats at the Heart of our Chocolates? Our focus has always been on good-for-you ingredients, clean label, sourced locally as far as possible. What started as a chocolaterie has evolved to a full-fledged caf, serving home style food, chocolates, desserts and cakes. With each new vertical, we have had to create the right recipes and source the right ingredients.When we started sourcing Indian Cocoa, in 2016, it was not the fashionable thing to do. It went against my training in Belgium with Belgian Chocolate. We tried cocoa beans from various farms in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Until we fell in love with the cocoa beans grown in Karnataka. Were proud to say that our focus today, has moved away from Belgian chocolate, to chocolate made from cocoa grown by responsible farmers in South India. The shift has been very satisfying, with the chocolate becoming clean label. We are now able to control the sugar and also experiment with jaggery, which has opened up so many doors to innovate. We also decided not to use any soy lecithin in our recipes, and stay with pure cocoa butter as the hero ingredient. Sourcing Flavours and Add-ins: The Art of Personalisation While cocoa and sugar form the backbone of any great chocolate, flavouring and adding texture are where the magic happens. At JusTrufs, we take great care in selecting nuts, spices, herbs, and dried fruits that will complement and enhance the chocolate. These add-ins are where I can get creative, developing unique flavor combinations that make our chocolates stand out.Dry fruits and other ingredients were originally sourced from City Market. There was no Porter at that time, which has made our lives so much easier now. Internet searches were not a luxury we had either. As we were small and unknown, no one gave us the time of the day. We had to wait for hours to buy our small quantities for the week, but we persevered. The Right Packaging! Sourcing doesnt end with ingredients. Packaging plays a crucial role in protecting the integrity of the chocolate and conveying our values to the consumer. Initially, I would scout around City Market and Avenue Road to get the right packaging, which, in hindsight, was very generic. We could not afford to make our own branded packaging as they all wanted an MOQ of 1,000 boxes per design. We have always been bootstrapped, and have had to be innovative with our presentation. Initial Setbacks and Learnings As with any business starting out, we went in with implicit trust. We were led to believe that first time vendors we trusted for customised packaging and moulds would deliver on time, after we had paid the advance that they wanted. It was a bitter lesson to learn, that they had no intention of meeting our deadlines. We were misled on many occasions, and wasted hours waiting outside their offices, for them to even start our work. We can look back on these experiences and laugh, today, but the stress and sleepless nights over almost-missed deadlines then, was very real. Our Present Sourcing Strategy: Building Relationships with Suppliers Sourcing is as much about relationships as it is about ingredients. Over the years, things have improved. Our requirements and quantities for everything we source has increased, so we were looked upon with some degree of respect. Ive built a network of trusted suppliers who share my commitment to quality and ethical practices. By nurturing these long-term relationships, I am able to have a hands-on approach, ensuring that the materials I use are consistent in quality, season after season. Some Pointers for Food-Related Businesses Get your recipe right!First and foremost, if you run a caf, get your recipe(s) right. Each new chocolate truffle, every cake and dessert you see on our display counter, the menus and every food dish we so lovingly serve, have all evolved from our home recipes, perfected over time.We evaluate the sensory feel of the new recipe, the balance of flavours, do a lot of trials, tweak the recipe, till we are satisfied with the final result, then start with fixing the suppliers for the ingredients.Pay attention to detailWhen I am creating a new recipe, I search high and low to get the right taste,look and feel of the dish and also how it will be packaged or served to our guests. It is a very complex and time- consuming job, but we thrive on this detailingSupplies are key!We try to find suppliers who are closest to us, which is better for the environment and also for deadlines. As far as possible we try to have two suppliers for the same ingredients, so if one cannot supply, we have a choice.We visit trade fairs and exhibitions looking for new suppliers. We ask other contemporaries in a similar field for suggestions for suppliers, and we also look online. Once we decide on a supplier, we make sure they are compliant with our processes. We give them a trial order and see the responses they give, the speed of delivery, the lead time needed for the quantity we require.Once all this is decided, we create a vendor registration for them and have a minimum order quantity. We have a benchmark in our backend, what is the stock we need to have on hand, before we place the next order. This helps us control waste and also stock is valuableWe fix our terms with our vendors, such as delivery and payment terms. We are now bigger and relatively well known, so most new ingredient suppliers come to us with samples and we spend a lot of time sampling ingredients, and seeing if they are good enough for us to use.We are now passionate about good for you ingredients which are gluten free and vegan, so that sets us up on a whole new line of research. Conclusion: A Commitment to Excellence The art of sourcing materials is not something to be taken lightlyit requires passion, dedication, and a deep understanding of the impact every ingredient has on the final product. Being in the business of food, I am committed to sourcing the finest materials that will produce chocolates and caf dishes with exceptional flavor, texture, and integrity. The care I take in selecting these ingredients reflects my dedication to the craft and ensures that every bite is a truly extraordinary experience. All this seems more streamlined today, but we still have classic mistakes in getting the optimal stock.I would love to hear your experiences, while setting up a boot strapped food business and how have you got stuck on so many issues along the way and solved them?Do visit us at JusTrufs, Jakkur Road, Jakkur, Bangalore North, 560064
