Manam’s Diwali Edit Celebrates the Joy of Hosting

“This collection is very close to our hearts,” smiles Ruby Islam, Head Chef at Manam Chocolate, as she walks us through the brand’s ‘Diwali 2025 collection’. “Because at the end of the day, it’s not just chocolate. It’s the spirit of hosting, of gifting, of making space at the table for everyone.”

Ruby speaks with the ease of someone who’s watched something grow — quite literally — from the ground up. “One of the most significant things that makes Manam different,” she explains, “is that we start our journey right from the tree. Chaitanya (Manam founder), always says — he knows the chocolate from when it was a flower.” The cacao is grown in the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, fermented in their facility in Eluru, and crafted into chocolate at their Karkhana in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

It’s a journey that spans soil, time, and celebration — and every box in their Diwali collection is designed to find its way to some table: a family dinner, a taash night, or a late-night catch-up that drifts past dessert.

“We wanted something for every kind of gathering,” Ruby says, carefully lifting the lids of boxes lined up on a long wooden counter. “There are milk chocolate selections, dark chocolate selections, sweet-spice mixes… it’s meant to reflect the way we actually host during Diwali — a little bit of everything.”

The artwork on each box carries that emotion too. Illustrated by artist Namrata Kumar, the packaging features scenes of gatherings, celebrations, and shared tables — from their cacao farms and fermentery to bustling homes lit up with diyas. Ruby picks up one of her favourites, her fingers resting lightly on the tin. “This particular one is special because it reflects the way we imagine people gathering around tables, connecting over food and conversation,” she says.

Inside the boxes, the variety is a reflection of India’s own diverse sweet tooth. There are clusters, barks, cookies, dragees, and playful pocket pouches — what Ruby calls “the little things people love to sneak into their bags after a party.” One of their best-loved confections is the candied orange, coated in white, milk, or dark chocolate. There’s the almond creaming cluster with caramelised almonds and milk chocolate, and a dark chocolate and orange cookie that has a steady fan following in Delhi.

Then there’s a small, nostalgic touch — the fruit jam cookie, inspired by the Jim Jam biscuits of childhood. “That one,” Ruby laughs, “always makes people smile the moment they see it. It’s familiar, and yet new.” Another star of the spread is the sweet curry leaf cookie, made with white chocolate — an elegant balance of sweet and savoury.

And for those who love a surprise in every bite, the caramelised hazelnut dragee reveals its three-layered chocolate shell as soon as it’s split open. “That’s the fun of it. Chocolate is meant to be experienced slowly,” she says.

The barks— thin slabs of chocolate studded with nuts and fruits — were created with intimate gifting in mind. They come in elegant, stackable packs that slip easily into party hampers or hostess gifts. “We wanted something that travels well and still feels personal,” Ruby explains.

As the conversation drifts to dessert, Ruby’s eyes light up. “Diwali isn’t just about the sweets on the table,” she says. “It’s also about that moment after dinner when someone brings out something special.” This year, that moment arrives in the form of pastries and entremets — raspberry and dark chocolate cakes, matcha almond chocolate dragees, silky ganache layers, and custard creams. The Diwali Celebration Cakes — like The DMW with dark, milk and caramelised white chocolate, or the Coconut Lemon Custard cake — are crafted to order.

The matcha almond, one of Ruby’s personal favourites, features roasted almonds coated with 67% dark chocolate and finished with a mix of caramelised white chocolate and matcha. “The matcha flavour with custard and milk is so comforting,” she says. When you pop one you know it’s new, but it feels like home. And yet another indigenous chocolate crafted to perfection that one must try is the one infused with the famous Guntur chilli from Andhra Pradesh. With a little bit of spice and loaded with dark chocolate, this is a stunner, I must say!

Much of the collection is new this year — including the bark boxes, the savoury mixes, and their special indulgence range of bonbons and palettes, offered in elegant 12, 24, and soon-to-launch 64-piece sets. “We wanted to bring together everything people love about chocolate, but in a way that’s celebratory,” she explains.

At its core, Manam’s Diwali is about keeping the table open. It’s about making room — for another person, another story, another bite. “That’s what we have tried to capture,” Ruby says thoughtfully. “It’s not about one big thing. It’s about all the small, generous moments that make a gathering special.”

This year’s collection travels easily, sits elegantly, and blends effortlessly into every kind of celebration — whether it’s a large taash party, a quiet family dinner, or a late-night gathering that stretches into laughter.

“At the end of it all, we just want to be a part of people’s celebrations. Because Diwali lives at the tables we gather around — and if our chocolate can find a little space there, that’s everything,” signs off Ruby, whose voice carries a quiet kind of joy.