(March 29, 2024) If life is like a box of chocolates, Aparna Gorrepati has savoured them all and is only getting better at it. Growing up in a house full of doctors, professors, writers and lawyers, she aimed at becoming a doctor. However, life took her to GE where she ended up working as a soft skills trainer for the longest time, until one day when she discovered that life, after all, was all about chocolates for her.
“I am addicted to good chocolate and have had countless amounts of chocolates over the years, albeit in moderation. The science and art of chocolate making fascinates me,” smiles celebrated chocolatier Aparna Gorrepati, as she connects with Global Indian.
Aparna Gorrepati
Not only did chocolates take Aparna across the globe, it culminated with the launch of her brand of chocolates — ZUCI, which captured the hearts of connoisseurs, instantly. “ZUCI was an eventual culmination of turning my proficiency, experience and expertise into a profession and a business,” says Aparna, whose artisanal chocolate studio boasts of 35 flavours in chocolate alone, including a broad range of truffles and bonbons among others.
She says the artisanal chocolates, desserts and breads, stand out for their craftsmanship, taste profile and of course, the large variety, which provides an unparalleled chocolate experience to the patrons. Her firm also offers artisanal bread besides an extensive spread of desserts.
ZUCI chocolates was recognised as one of the World’s Best Emerging Brands at Le Pantheon De La Gloire world’s leading brands and leaders 2023. The award ceremony took place as part of the Global Leasers Summit at The House of Lords, The Palace of Westminster in London.
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Hit by Covid
With the launch happening a month before Covid hit the world and led to a lockdown, Aparna’s newly launched business suffered a major blow, but she emerged unscathed. “Before we realised adversity struck us out of the blue and we had to come to terms with the unforeseen challenges and the impact that it had on the brand, financials, team and pretty much all our plans,” recalls the ZUCI founder.
However, she and her team were resilient and confident of what they set out to be and do, which is make a difference in the Hyderabad chocolate market and introduce global quality with a touch of local flavours and a large variety of them, that would cater to every Indian palette. “Once the world began unlocking, we got back to business with renewed energy,” says Aparna, who leads her team of 120 staffers who directly work with her.
Once ZUCI established a strong brand presence in Hyderabad, Aparna expanded the business with the launch of her own F&B brand, The Bougainvillea, a premium global cuisine restaurant.
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So what’s with the name ZUCI ?
ZUCI, pronounced as “Shu-chi” originates from the Sanskrit word “Shudh” which means “Pure”. “Purity in the products, process, thoughts and intent is what it represents and what we stand for. We wanted the name to resonate with our core values and beliefs and wanted it to be an Indian name,” informs Aparna who received the Prime Insights Women Achiever of the Year Award, 2022 and IIHM Ladies behind economical boost award, 2022.
Nothing but the best
When it comes to chocolate making, Aparna settles for nothing but the best. “We spend a lot of time on researching, trying out different combinations and have a rigorous process that ensures quality, hygiene and perfection of our products,” says the chocolatier.
The award-winning entrepreneur is always looking out to try new flavours, new brands and also randomly tastes her own products to ensure they meet all the standards. “A good chocolate ultimately boils down to the quality of the ingredients used, the origin of the cocoa, the percent of cocoa solids, the presentation, texture, and most importantly the flavour and taste,” elaborates Aparna, who received the Times Food & Nightlife – Best Chocolatier Award for four years consecutively since 2021 besides the Best restaurant award 2021 and Best entrepreneur award 2022.
Busy Bee
Aparna’s routine varies by each day. The week usually starts with a detailed WBR (Weekly Business Review) with her leadership team, where they analyse and review the past week’s sales, highlights, lowlights and a deep dive into the root cause analysis. “Through the week my time is split between monitoring customer service, product quality, customer feedback/ experience and a lot of projects involving innovation, new product launch, packaging, marketing and planning for events,” says the first-generation entrepreneur.
Additionally, she always takes time out to interact with key customers and seek their feedback and build relationships.
Chocolate making
Aparna’s tryst with chocolates began when she started learning chocolate making as a hobby in Hyderabad. “That’s when I understood the difference between compound and chocolate,” says the chocolatier, who realised that most of the so-called chocolate that she was consuming was actually compound, which is unhealthy. Her son too was consuming the same, which piqued her interest to learn chocolate in depth.
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“In my mind, I wanted my son to have access to quality and healthy chocolate which is couverture and not compound. One thing lead to the other and before I realised I was smitten by the science and art of chocolate and decided to master it in-depth,” smiles Aparna, who moved to Mumbai to learn the basics of chocolate making from a reputed institution.
Eventually, in search of advanced and formal training, Aparna enrolled herself for a diploma in Chocolate and Pastry arts from the prestigious Ecole Ducasse in France. Learning from the experts who have worked on chocolate for decades was a great experience for her. “It exposed to me to the science of chocolate, the technical aspects, the right tools and technology to use for creating great end products,” says Aparna, who also worked with a 100+ year-old world-renowned Chocolate Brand in France. It provided her a chance to put her skills to use while understanding the nitty-gritty of the chocolate business in a real-world environment.
During this period, she also got opportunities with Master Chefs in Belgium and USA and learnt the craft directly from them. Back in India, she worked with one of the largest chocolate manufacturers producing Industrial chocolate in both marketing and R&D.
Hyderabad girl
Aparna’s childhood was spent in premier schools and colleges in Hyderabad. She studied at Rosary Convent and then did her B.A. (Political Science) from St. Ann’s college. “I was a sportswoman and was an active volleyball and handball player (National level),” informs Aparna, whose husband Chaitanya is a CXO at an MNC.
In her growing up years, like other kids, she too had access to a variety of chocolates and candies. Moreover, whenever family visited from abroad, it was a custom to bring along loads of chocolates – which were very different in taste, texture and flavour from the regular chocolates available in India.
Stint at GE
Prior to taking the plunge into chocolate making, Aparna worked as a soft skills trainer at GE for many years. She was training employees of various corporates on a range of behavioural skills that included communication, leadership, team building and assertiveness.
“This experience helped me connect with a large number of employees across locations of the corporates and understand human behaviour, that immensely helps me in my interactions with all my stakeholders,” she says.
Chocolates & India
Chocolate industry in India is growing at a rapid scale. “India is likely to see a double digit growth for the next decade and dark and luxury chocolate market is growing at an even higher pace,” informs Aparna.
She says the current chocolate consumption in India is still lower at 200 gms/person against the 5kg/person in Europe. “Given the economic prospects of India over the next decade, I am very confident of the chocolate market seeing continued growth.”
ZUCI in more cities
Revealing her future plans, she says, “We will soon be launching a wider range of chocolate and confectionery products and taking ZUCI to more cities, beyond Hyderabad.” Aparna, who has been a natural foodie, has always been interested in trying new cuisines, flavours and combinations.
When not busy making chocolates or supervising ZUCI, Aparna, a professionally trained stained glass artist, loves to paint. “I’m also working on opening an Academy in Hyderabad, which is a personal project with a chocolate company. It should be ready in the next couple of months,” informs Aparna.
More Awards
- Business Connect Asia One – Women’s Empowerment Leadership Award – 2020-21
- Top 10 People in Food & Confectionery, CEO Insights Magazine – 2021
- CXO Outlook Magazine – Influential Leaders Award – 2021
- Hybiz TV- Women’s achievement Award – 2021
- ET F&B – Iconic Chocolates Award – 2023
- Hybiz TV – Best Chocolatier Award – 2022
- Global Future Design Awards Winner – 2020
- FOAID – Gold in Category: Restaurants/ Lounge Bar – 2020
- Architect and Interiors India – Aces of Space Design Awards Runner up – 2021
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