The mango rasmalai and mishti doi may be chilling in our freezers, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t give the kaju kunafa and Burma baklava a chance this summer.
The Kolkata label The Baklava Box is perhaps the largest online seller of authentic Turkish baklavas in the country and has some terrific gourmet potential.
Started by Vatsal Agarwal in 2019, the brand creates sweet and nutty desserts from the Middle East. “I travel to Turkey and Middle-Eastern countries quite often and that's where I fell in love with baklavas and Turkish cuisine,” he shares.
“I soon realised that quality baklavas were not available anywhere in India and instinctively knew that it would be a great fit with the Indian palate. I was born and brought up in Kolkata and there wasn’t a better place for me to start The Baklava Box,” adds Vatsal.
There’s no denying that Kolkatans love sweets, and when it comes to gourmet desserts, Vatsal knew there’d be many takers. He opened the first store on CIT Road and launched the signature product — Turkish baklavas. “We had started with eight varieties, but now we produce over 30 varieties of baklavas,” says the entrepreneur.
Apart from baklavas, they also offer a huge selection of desserts like Turkish delights, kunafas, dates, gourmet cookies, fusion Indian sweets like modak, laddoo and flavoured dry fruits.
Vatsal shares that the base of most Turkish desserts comprises paper-thin phyllo sheets, honey and clarified butter, or ghee. This provides the characteristic crunch to the dessert.
Once baked, these delicious desserts are soaked in honey, which gives them a natural sweetness that isn’t too saccharine. The dry fruits, of course, add some extra oomph.
The Baklava Box has fulfilled over one lakh orders since it started and has over 26K followers on Instagram.
“Our organic marketing has been our best bet for acquiring followers. Our customers usually post about the box they receive on their stories, which has helped us gain reach through word of mouth. Lately, Instagram reels have been very engaging. We focus on creating quality content for our audience, giving them a reason to follow us. We get a lot of queries through social media and have a dedicated team to reply to the messages and comments,” explains Vatsal.
Vatsal remains a stickler for authenticity especially since he is trying to recreate tastes that are coveted the world over.
“The baklavas are made by chefs who have been flown in from Turkey. Though it has been a challenge, it helps us maintain authenticity. Our ingredients are sourced from all over the world, and India. Our pistachio comes directly from Turkey, while the dates are imported from Jordan and Saudi Arabia,” he tells us.
One of their best-sellers is the Bukaj, or pyramid baklavas. They are bite-sized baklavas made with pistachios and cashews that nest inside crunchy phyllo sheets.
“Kolkata is one of the best markets for gourmet luxury desserts. People are willing to try new sweets. Not to mention, the word of mouth is very effective here. The wedding season and festival gifting also help drive our sales,” says Vatsal.
You can order these luxury desserts online here, or visit their walk-in store at 12, CIT Road, Kankurgachi, Kolkata.