Karnataka will soon get its first chocolate park near the famous tourist spots on the Madikeri-Mangaluru Road. People will be able to walk into the park and witness the making of chocolate fist-hand and also taste it. The park will be situated in Kavu, near Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district. The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO) is setting up the park within their premises. CAMPCO currently has a factory in Puttur that produces nearly 23 varieties of chocolates.
President of CAMPCO, Kishore Kumar Kodgi, said, “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 planning to make the park on the small land within 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.
According to Kodgi, the work for the model chocolate factory will conclude by March-April this year. Creation of a small children’s play area, artificial waterfalls and the chocolate store will begin thereafter. He said that they are expecting to open the park to the public by the end of 2021.
The president revealed that they will also hire a contractor to run a restaurant that they are planning to build within the upcoming 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 largest company in India that produces 75-80% dark chocolate and supplies them to brands like Cadbury and Amul for making finished goods. They have been exporting their cocoa to African countries as well.