Anuva Kakkar: Brewing Happiness with Tiggle, India’s First Hot Chocolate Brand

Anuva Kakkar found a new area in the heart of Gurugram, where the busy city life frequently yearns for warmth: the lack of good, reasonably priced instant hot chocolate. This insight, together with her fondness for the cosy beverage, inspired her to launch Tiggle, the only online hot chocolate business in India. Anuva’s story, which began with a failed postcard endeavour and ended with revolutionising the hot chocolate experience, demonstrates the tenacity of a young businessperson setting new standards.

Anuva Kakkar ventured into the startup arena after completing her BBA degree in 2019, joining UrbanClap in Gurugram. Despite her initial foray into entrepreneurship with Postapostcard facing setbacks, it laid the foundation for her problem-solving mindset and a glimpse into the intricacies of startup operations. However, it was her passion for hot chocolate that led her to identify a gap in the market — the absence of easily accessible, high-quality instant hot chocolate.

The inception of Tiggle was not without its challenges. Anuva, at the age of 21, initiated the venture on an extremely small scale. Armed with a five-litre steel jar, three litres of milk, and the essential ingredients, she set up a makeshift stall outside a metro station in Gurgaon. Despite the initial hesitations of a young entrepreneur selling hot chocolate on the streets, Anuva’s confidence soared as she sold out the entire jar, approximately 30 cups, in an impressive 52 minutes. This early success fueled her determination, leading to partnerships with a metro kiosk and selling over 1,000 cups to understand customer preferences.

The year 2019 brought unforeseen challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life. Anuva, forced to pause Tiggle’s operations, utilized this time to reassess her business strategy. Armed with a modest investment of Rs 35,000, she shifted gears to the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space, leveraging the insights gained during the initial phase of Tiggle.

Anuva’s learning curve included understanding target audiences, refining packaging strategies, and honing her outreach through platforms like Facebook and Google ads. Tiggle’s community-centric approach involved keeping followers informed about the brand’s progress, turning consumers into decision-makers. The brand’s Instagram community played a vital role, contributing to both brand building and sales.

With a focus on quality, Anuva tasted cocoa from numerous farms across India to source the best raw materials for Tiggle. The brand’s claim of serving over 14,000 customers and delivering 200,000 cups of hot chocolate to 20,000+ pin codes within a year attests to its rapid growth.

Starting Tiggle at a young age came with its set of advantages and challenges for Anuva. The perks included the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them without severe judgment. However, the challenges involved facing skepticism due to her age and gender, especially when dealing with vendors and operational aspects.

Looking ahead, Anuva envisions expanding Tiggle’s product range beyond hot chocolate mixes. Plans include introducing complementary products such as marshmallows, cookies, biscuits, churros, and exploring three new flavors. Quirky merchandise like cups, T-shirts, mixers, and a hot chocolate color card to guide consumers in achieving the perfect texture at home are also in the pipeline.

Anuva Kakkar’s mission is to bring hot chocolate to the masses in India, demystifying its image as a premium beverage. With Tiggle, she is not just brewing hot chocolate; she’s crafting an experience that transcends age and brings joy in every cup.