Kanchan Achpal: An Epicure Enriching People's Sweet Tooth Providing Rich Chocolates
Kanchan Achpal
Chief Marketing Officer
Kanchan, the chocolate connoisseur recently engaged in an exclusive conversation with CEO Insights Editorial team and shared about her inspirational career journey and the company. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
Give a glimpse of your educational and professional background and experiences. What inspired you to bake a career in the Food and Beverages industry?
With a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce as my educational qualification and a flair for good food, communication and meeting people, I set off on my career with the Taj Group of Hotels, Bangalore in 2002. I worked there for seven years in banquets, organizing wedding and high-profile corporate events. In 2010, I joined SMOOR Chocolates, formerly Bliss Chocolates (until 2016), aiming to introduce real chocolate rich in Cocoa Butter to the Indian consumer.
Aesthetically pleasing and beautifully presented things attract me. Good food equals good mood. We travel a lot and every time we would travel abroad, we would bring back delectable chocolates, hence a career surrounded with these beauties was an absolute delight! So my inspiration is all collective and inspired by good food.
What were the challenges you had to overcome to mould you into the individual you are now? What makes you passionate about this job?
I always do what I love and love what I do. I believe that if you enjoy what you do, you are never working. Coming from a conservative background, and starting my career after being married and with two toddlers in tow was a huge challenge. However, balancing between my work and personal life I took up this challenge.
Patience and passion for what you do are two important things that I have learnt during my tenure of work life. I believe that if you want to achieve anything in life, you can, no matter what. SMOOR is a real brand, true to its word and I love the truth behind it.
Define Smoor Chocolates as an organization? What makes the company stand unique from its peers in the industry?
Smoor Chocolates, as the name goes is celebrated for its unique and true culinary experiences. Rich honest ingredients and skilled craftsmanship come together to tell a story like never before. Our recipes are authentic and concocted by master chocolatiers from around the world. Through mastering the art over time, we have been successful in designing this magnificent array of stunning pastries and chocolates. Our trained team of chocolatiers is dedicated to crafting your confectionaries with a lot of ardour. A sheer moment of bliss in each taste, our luxury collection is sure to leave you craving for more. Bringing a sensory experience to chocolate tasting, Smoor amalgamates exotic flavours and strikes the right chord in arousing sweet culinary pleasures.
Today, we are present across Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and now in Chennai also. I think we will keep going and growing enchanting people’s taste buds. Perpetual innovation in terms of product and packaging design is something that we do on a regular basis. Customised and personalised options interms of gifting is what keeps us ahead when customers decide what they would like to gift. We are also true to our word we use rich honest true ingredients in our products and strive to give our customers the highest quality of chocolates, desserts and more.
Across your professional experiences, share insights on a time you had to deal with a complex scenario when marketing a product. What was your strategy and how
I always do what I love and love what I do. I believe that if you enjoy what you do, you are never working. Coming from a conservative background, and starting my career after being married and with two toddlers in tow was a huge challenge. However, balancing between my work and personal life I took up this challenge.
Patience and passion for what you do are two important things that I have learnt during my tenure of work life. I believe that if you want to achieve anything in life, you can, no matter what. SMOOR is a real brand, true to its word and I love the truth behind it.
Define Smoor Chocolates as an organization? What makes the company stand unique from its peers in the industry?
Smoor Chocolates, as the name goes is celebrated for its unique and true culinary experiences. Rich honest ingredients and skilled craftsmanship come together to tell a story like never before. Our recipes are authentic and concocted by master chocolatiers from around the world. Through mastering the art over time, we have been successful in designing this magnificent array of stunning pastries and chocolates. Our trained team of chocolatiers is dedicated to crafting your confectionaries with a lot of ardour. A sheer moment of bliss in each taste, our luxury collection is sure to leave you craving for more. Bringing a sensory experience to chocolate tasting, Smoor amalgamates exotic flavours and strikes the right chord in arousing sweet culinary pleasures.
Today, we are present across Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and now in Chennai also. I think we will keep going and growing enchanting people’s taste buds. Perpetual innovation in terms of product and packaging design is something that we do on a regular basis. Customised and personalised options interms of gifting is what keeps us ahead when customers decide what they would like to gift. We are also true to our word we use rich honest true ingredients in our products and strive to give our customers the highest quality of chocolates, desserts and more.
Across your professional experiences, share insights on a time you had to deal with a complex scenario when marketing a product. What was your strategy and how
were you able to draw successful outcomes?
Our Indian weather makes it extremely difficult to store and transport chocolates high in cocoa butter content. This sometimes becomes a challenge. Developing chocolate pads and thermal bags was something we worked on to ensure that the customers get their products without any melting and damage.
As the marketing landscape is dynamic, how do you ensure to stay on top of the changes? Have you acquired any new tactics and what have you learned from them?
I travel very often. As a brand we strive to bring an international experience to the very doorstep of our customers. Plated desserts, world class gifting experience, and high end chocolate experiences are some of the ways we stay on top. Bringing in consultant chefs from all over the world is another way we ensure that we are always one step ahead.
In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that have bestowed you with utmost satisfaction - both personally and professionally?
Winning awards for the brand Eazy diner, World on a plate, What’s Hot, and Times hospitality are some of my milestones. Launching Ruby, the fourth type of chocolate, with a natural pink hue and a natural tangy and fruit flavour, in India at SMOOR, Indiranagar with Callebaut, was a beautiful milestone.
I have put my heart and soul in the company, and I have been with SMOOR for 11 years now. Winning these awards completely on merit was a major achievement for me, because there’s so much of hard work that goes in Innovating every minute, in terms of packaging and product and providing a world class experience in terms of desserts and chocolates is my passion!
Kanchan Achpal,Chief Marketing Officer, Bliss Chocolates
A passionate marketing professional, Kanchan is an emerging expert in devising and executing novel marketing strategies, especially in the chocolates segment.
Hobbies: Traveling, Food Styling for Photography & Cooking.
Favorite Cuisine: Thai
Favorite Book:'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari' book by Robin Sharma
Favourite Travel Destination: Maldives
Awards & Recognition:
'Best Employee',in the year 2016
Our Indian weather makes it extremely difficult to store and transport chocolates high in cocoa butter content. This sometimes becomes a challenge. Developing chocolate pads and thermal bags was something we worked on to ensure that the customers get their products without any melting and damage.
As the marketing landscape is dynamic, how do you ensure to stay on top of the changes? Have you acquired any new tactics and what have you learned from them?
I travel very often. As a brand we strive to bring an international experience to the very doorstep of our customers. Plated desserts, world class gifting experience, and high end chocolate experiences are some of the ways we stay on top. Bringing in consultant chefs from all over the world is another way we ensure that we are always one step ahead.
In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that have bestowed you with utmost satisfaction - both personally and professionally?
Winning awards for the brand Eazy diner, World on a plate, What’s Hot, and Times hospitality are some of my milestones. Launching Ruby, the fourth type of chocolate, with a natural pink hue and a natural tangy and fruit flavour, in India at SMOOR, Indiranagar with Callebaut, was a beautiful milestone.
I have put my heart and soul in the company, and I have been with SMOOR for 11 years now. Winning these awards completely on merit was a major achievement for me, because there’s so much of hard work that goes in Innovating every minute, in terms of packaging and product and providing a world class experience in terms of desserts and chocolates is my passion!
Kanchan Achpal,Chief Marketing Officer, Bliss Chocolates
A passionate marketing professional, Kanchan is an emerging expert in devising and executing novel marketing strategies, especially in the chocolates segment.
Hobbies: Traveling, Food Styling for Photography & Cooking.
Favorite Cuisine: Thai
Favorite Book:'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari' book by Robin Sharma
Favourite Travel Destination: Maldives
Awards & Recognition:
'Best Employee',in the year 2016