"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt", how true! Chocolates are great companions, in both happiness and sorrow. Being a huge fan of chocolates and truffles, the meeting with one of the pioneers of the chocolate industry, Chenddyna Schae came as no less than a blessing to me.
After the usual pleasantries, I sat down to hear her story. Chenddyna who owns and runs the very popular “Jus’ Trufs went to Catering College, Mumbai in the 80s. After graduation, she started her career at the legendary Taj, Mumbai where she was appointed in the chocolate section. Though her job involved mostly packaging and wrapping of chocolates, she fell in love with the aroma and taste of chocolates, also discovering that she had a natural flair for anything that revolved around chocolates.
After marriage and two children, the family had to shift to Bangalore. It was heartbreak of sorts for Chenddyna as she had to leave her beloved city. But she was firm about not letting go off her first love- chocolates. So in Bangalore, the IT hub of the country, Chenddyna began her second tryst with chocolates starting off with a small unit at her home. It was a small venture with a meagre investment of 10,000 rupees but this was to be the birth of the much- loved Jus’ Trufs brand.
She chose to retail with a counter at the Bombay store, M.G road, Bangalore. And the response she received was in the superlatives. People were delighted to savor her chocolates. A huge crowd started swarming into the tiny counter and it kept getting bigger during festive seasons like Diwali, Christmas and New Year celebrations. When the tiny counter started getting too small for the burgeoning crowd, she realized that she needed a bigger space for her chocolate production and her own retail space.
Over the years Jus’ Trufs started getting popular with the corporate crowd for all the customizations they were willing to do. The brand soon became synonymous with the term "customised chocolatiers".
As someone who always wanted to learn more, Chenddyna took specialized courses in Belgian chocolates from Singapore. From 2003, she also started importing ingredients from Belgium and has made many trips to the country to learn the tricks of the trade.
Jus Trufs
Moving into a bigger space was no easy task. The holistic entrepreneur that she is, Chenddyna knew the importance of creating a brand image is as important as making high quality products. So she and her dedicated team painstakingly dealt with all aspects for setting up their own production facility and chocolate cafe in 2011.
Having realized that there was a niche market for more than chocolates, in North Bangalore she went beyond the original concept of a chocolaterie to a relaxed home-style café & patisserie.
The cafe has seen its share of evolution too. From just a few variety of sandwiches, the place now offers a variety of options for a sumptuous lunch or dinner. As I sat at the cafe relishing a pizza& pasta with some great creamy pesto sauce, I could see why the place was so heavily favored by connoisseurs. Honestly, I was impressed by the food, the ambience and most importantly, their service. As you see the distinguished lady who manages the cafe walking up to the guests, greeting them warmly, offering suggestions depending on their tastes, you know that Chenddyna has been able to instill her own passion into the organization's work culture.
Jus’ Trufs not just feeds you amazing chocolates and delicious food, they are equally keen to educate you as well. You can join one of their Chocolate Tours and take a walk around the history of chocolate. Learn the art of making exquisite Belgian chocolates. Fancy yourself as Mr. Willy Wonka and indulge in the most heavenly dessert on earth, Chocolates and chocolate desserts
at Jus’ Trufs.
