The story of Kainaz Messman Harchandrai, co-founder of Theobroma, is one of resilience, passion, and sheer determination. A brand that has reached cult status in India for its delectable brownies, cakes, and pastries, Theobroma is synonymous with quality and indulgence. However, the path to this success was far from smooth. Kainaz's journey shows how she transformed personal challenges into opportunities. She built a brand that now connects with millions of food lovers nationwide.

A Childhood Bathed in Food

Growing up in a Parsi household, Kainaz was no stranger to the joy of cooking and sharing food. Her mother, Kamal Messman, ran a successful catering business from their home in Mumbai, churning out everything from kheema burgers to handmade chocolates. Kainaz recalls waking up in a home filled with the aroma of chopped onions and the sight of countertops full of treats waiting to be wrapped. Alongside her sister Tina, Kainaz spent her childhood helping her mother and learning the ropes of the kitchen.

Yet, despite being surrounded by food, Kainaz initially had different dreams. She wanted to become a lawyer, and it wasn’t until a transformative trip to France as a Rotary Youth Exchange student that her culinary calling began to surface. The exposure to French cuisine ignited her passion for baking, and all her childhood memories of helping her mother in the kitchen came flooding back. It was then that she decided to pursue a career in food, but the journey would have some unexpected twists.

From a Dream to a Nightmare

After deciding to shift gears, Kainaz enrolled in the prestigious Oberoi School of Hotel Management and later began working as a chef at the luxurious Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur. But the rigors of being on her feet all day took a toll. At just 24, she suffered a debilitating back injury—herniated discs—which left her bedridden for months. Doctors informed her that she could no longer work as a chef, crushing her dreams of pursuing her passion in the kitchen.

“I was devastated,” Kainaz recalls in an interview. “Cooking was my passion, and to be told that I couldn’t pursue it any longer was heartbreaking.”

Despite this setback, Kainaz refused to give up. She focused on healing, taking up swimming to strengthen her back. During this time, her family encouraged her to explore the possibility of opening a café. It was this suggestion that led to the birth of what would become Theobroma, though Kainaz had no idea at the time just how iconic her brand would become.

The Birth of a Dream

At a time when Mumbai’s café scene was dominated by places like Café Coffee Day and most bakeries served traditional fare like Black Forest cake, Theobroma aimed to stand out with its French-inspired pastries and desserts.

Kainaz and her sister Tina chose the name Theobroma, which is the botanical name of the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao. Despite some initial doubts about whether people would even remember the name, the brand quickly gained recognition.

The first Theobroma outlet opened in Colaba, Mumbai, in 2004. Funded by their father, who invested Rs 1.5 crore into the venture, the business started out modestly. In the early days, their grandmother’s kitchen served as the makeshift bakery, and the chocolate and pastries were prepared in a small air-conditioned corridor to save costs. The family’s ingenuity and hard work paid off as the café began attracting a loyal customer base.

For the first six years, Theobroma remained a single-store operation in Mumbai. Kainaz admits that she was content with keeping the business small, saying, “I was the biggest obstacle to my business.” Running the store was an around-the-clock job, with Kainaz and her team working every day, often with just one assistant. Their hard work spoke for itself. Customers lined up from morning until closing, eager to sample Theobroma’s delicious treats.

However, it wasn’t until 2013, when the Messman family brought in Cyrus Shroff as CEO, that Theobroma’s growth accelerated. Under his leadership, the brand expanded beyond Mumbai, first to Delhi and eventually to cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The current CEO, Rishi Gour, who joined in 2020, has overseen the brand’s expansion to over 85 outlets nationwide.

What has kept Theobroma at the forefront of India’s dessert scene for nearly two decades is Kainaz’s steadfast commitment to quality. From the very beginning, the brand has been known for its eggless brownies, a recipe that was passed down from her mother. While the recipe has been tweaked over the years to suit modern tastes, the essence of Theobroma’s signature brownies remains the same.

The brand’s menu has evolved to include breakfast and lunch options like quiches, sandwiches, and Danishes, but its baked goods continue to be the main draw. The red velvet cake, one of Theobroma’s most popular offerings, was introduced when the team heard about the trend gaining momentum in the U.S. “I tasted the red velvet cake for the first time when we made it at Theobroma,” Kainaz admits.

Kainaz’s focus on creating a safe and inclusive working environment, especially for women, is another key aspect of Theobroma’s success. As a woman in the male-dominated food and beverage industry, she faced her fair share of challenges but was determined to create a workplace where women could thrive.

Today, Theobroma is a household name, with 78 outlets across multiple cities in India. In 2021, the brand generated Rs 121 crore in revenue and is on track to double that number soon. Kainaz’s journey from a bedridden chef to the founder of a thriving business is one of resilience, passion, and a dedication to her craft.

In her recently published book Baking a Dream: The Theobroma Story, Kainaz’s mother Kamal beautifully sums up their journey, writing, “Together, we make great music, whether it is in being entrepreneurs, planners and thinkers or simply as mother and daughter.”