Holy Cow: A New Adventure

After more than 5 years of working and living in Kerala, a state in southern India, they founded HOLY COW. Quite special because we are part of every sustainable link in the cocoa chain: from farmer in India to chocolate bar in Belgium, meeting the highest quality requirements.

Ellen (Belgian) and Luca (Italian), two young pioneers and engineers by profession, met in 2011 in Hyderabad, South India. When Luca became involved in a cocoa project in Uganda in 2014, he felt it was time to go back together and this time to Kerala, where the climate is very suitable for cocoa. This region in the south of India is distinguished by the vast mountain forests and the milder climate. Charmed by the generosity of the locals and equally moved by their conspicuous poverty, Luca and Ellen soon developed a fervent ambition to build a fully transparent and honest business that would enable local families to live a better life by growing organic cocoa and spices. With the help of the family-run Fondazione Riva, they founded GoGround Beans & Spices in 2015 in Udumbannoor, amidst forests and rugged mountains, home to the beautiful giant Malabar squirrel and the endangered Indian elephant. Since then, they have studied and perfected the harvesting, fermentation and drying processes to bring out the flavor nuances of the various local beans and terroirs. The beans have a natural taste profile and are sold to artisanal processors including bean-to-bar chocolate makers in India and Europe. Because of the fine taste and the consistent quality of their cocoa beans, they have managed to give Indian cocoa a place on the 'specialty cocoa' market.

TRY THE CHOCOLATE

For gourmets with a preference for everything that is genuinely tasty! An unforgettable flavour experience: high quality, seasonal and 100% traceable with an exceptionally sustainable story!

When making our chocolate (products) the saying "less is more" applies: a minimal use of ingredients, less sweet, more taste, no additives! Deliciously natural and tasteful but also because we want to make full use of the naturally developed 'fine flavour' of our cocoa!