Karnataka will before long get its first chocolate park close to the well known places of interest on the Madikeri-Mangaluru Road. Individuals will have the option to stroll into the park and witness the creation of chocolate fist-hand and furthermore taste it. The park will be arranged in Kavu, close to Puttur in Dakshina Kannada area. The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO) is setting up the park inside their premises. CAMPCO as of now has a manufacturing plant in Puttur that produces almost 23 varieties of chocolates.
Leader of CAMPCO, Kishore Kumar Kodgi, stated, “A lot of people go to places like Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and other places to experience the making of chocolate. We wanted to create something like that here in Karnataka. There’s a small hilltop nearby which is a popular tourist spot called Hanuman betta. On their way there, people can stop and take a look at the making of the chocolate, experiencing the taste of freshly made chocolate. Because of regulations placed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), we cannot entertain guests. Our main intention behind the creation of the park is to not only show people how chocolates are made but to give them a memorable journey.”
The President added that they are wanting to make the park on the little land inside the CAMPCO’s premises. “We are building a huge warehouse to store cacao, areca nut and pepper that cost us nearly Rs 30 crore and is spread across 2.5 acres of land. We are hoping that the chocolate park is made within the budget of Rs 3 to 4 crore. The engineer has recently surveyed the area and will chalk out the structure of the park. However, the primitive plan has been approved and the firm will begin to look for consultants to execute it after the final plan is approved,” said Kodgi.
As per Kodgi, the work for the model chocolate production line will close by March-April this year. Making of a little youngsters’ play territory, artificial waterfalls and the chocolate store will start from that point. He said that they are hoping to open the park to public before the finish of 2021.
The president uncovered that they will likewise recruit a temporary worker to run an eatery that they are wanting to work inside the impending chocolate park. “We are not only building a recreational area, but also a place where people travelling can come to grab refreshments, and tidy up before they continue with their journey. We are hoping that this will also encourage people to visit the chocolate park,” he said.
CAMPCO is the biggest organization in India that produces 75-80% dark chocolate and supplies them to brands like Cadbury and Amul for making completed products. They have been trading their cocoa to African nations also.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Bengaluru Bytes journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.