Imagine: foggy hills all around, and a cup of hot chocolate with hazelnuts waiting for you. The perfect setting unfolds at Moddy’s Patisserie and Bakery in Udhagamandalam, Nilgiris to celebrate 75 years of chocolates. While I enjoy the velvety chocolate drink, a baked cheesecake with a drizzle of milk chocolate and triple chocolate hazelnut brownies beckons. While baked cheesecake is dense, creamy, chocolatey and almost melts in your mouth, triple chocolate cake is layered with layers of luscious chocolate.
Modern stores have retained the old nameplate | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
“Tourists visiting Ooty come for our hot chocolate,” says Muralidhar Rao, managing director, adding that Moddy’s version is European-style: thick, creamy and with a chocolate accent rather than being milk-dominated. “We have as many as 10 varieties, including classic, 70 percent dark, salted caramel, Mexican spice, pistachio, cookies and cream, and rich orange, in addition to the mixed berries. We also pair them with Ooty strawberries and blueberries to support local farmers.”
Tourists enjoy hot chocolate | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
Muralidhar is the owner of Modern Stores, founded in 1951 by his father Janardhan Rao. What began as a humble candy department at Modern Stores gradually evolved into Moddy’s. “Kids in the dorms back then shortened the Modern Store to Moddy’s, and that’s how the name became our brand. A butler who worked for the British would share his recipes with us. Over the years, the handful of chocolates sold in the store have expanded to include more than 100 varieties of chocolate, truffles, ganaches and fudge,” he says, adding that colonial heritage played a significant role in the popularity of chocolate among residents and tourists.
As tourism grew, Moddi’s chocolates traveled far and wide. “My father used classic recipes using cocoa butter and no vegetable oils, and that is the legacy we carry on. My father taught me that if there is butter in a recipe, it should be butter, and what you serve to your child is what you sell. We collect our cocoa directly from farmers in Mangaluru, Kerala and Andhra.”
Chocolate cakes at Moody’s in Udhagamandalam. Photo: Satyamurthy M/ THE HINDU | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
Muralidhar describes Moddy’s as a large-format chocolate-based confectionery and bakery with ice cream, chocolate, drinks and coffee. “I was literally born in a chocolate factory,” he says. The production unit was located behind his house, and he spent time with the butlers, observing the chocolate making process. At the age of 14 he was making chocolate.
The factory is run entirely by women. | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
Today, Moddy’s produces more than 1,000 egg-free products that are made in their own kitchens and controlled entirely by women. There are more than 200 varieties of chocolate, about 25 varieties of fudge, and the range of baked goods includes hundreds of products: from croissants, Danish pastries and baguettes to sourdough, Korean buns,cooking and crackers. “As vegetarians, I remember our childhood. We couldn’t eat pastries and cakes because they always had eggs in them,” he says, adding: “I thought, why not make them without eggs?”
He also experimented with Japanese eggless cake, which is traditionally made with egg whites. “Continuous research is absolutely necessary for innovation. Our research and development is carried out over a 365-day period. My approach has always been hands-on. I learn first and then train my team,” he says, recalling his travels around Europe studying chocolate traditions and his visits to the University of Gelato in Italy to study the craft. “We now make 60 flavors of ice cream.”
Chocolates are sold at prices ranging from Rs 2,000 per kilo to Rs 7,000 | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
Among chocolates, the classic roasted almond in milk and dark chocolate variants has been a best-seller for the past five decades, and hot chocolate has achieved a cult following. “I have people who travel from Mysuru and Coimbatore just for hot chocolate. Our milk chocolate walnut cakes, special ganache layer cake, chocolate ice cream and Korean buns have become a real craze. From 100 Korean buns a day, we have made 1000 a day and people are lining up. We have many success stories. Our chocolate cheesecake has also been a big hit. We are selling chocolate from ₹2,000 per kilo to ₹7,000 We make the fudge the traditional way by melting it on a marble slab to ensure quality,” he explains.
Korean buns have become fashionable | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
Today they produce between 15 and 20 tons of chocolate per month, depending on the season. The outlet was opened in Conoor in 2018, followed by Kotagiri, Wellington, Yercaud, Kodaikanal and Ulundurpet. All stores are located on an area from 2000 to 4500 sq. m. ft., making them family run and not a premium chocolate establishment. Over the next three years, stores are planned to open in Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Mangaluru, Madikkeri, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kochi. “We have solved the problem of transporting chocolate, bakery products and ice cream from a hill station through temperature-controlled storage and logistics.”
Hot chocolate comes in 10 flavors | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
During the pandemic, Moddy’s has also revived traditional Udupi recipes and added Kruthis Snacks, which are now sold both in-store and online. Having served governors, the current President of India and several other film and political figures (Rahul Gandhi visited their factory during his visit to Ooty in 2023!), he describes quality and consistency as central to their chocolate-making tradition.
Moddy’s Outlet in Udhagamandalam | Photo credit: SATYAMOORTHY M.
“My idea is to demonstrate that a small town in the Nilgiris can serve the country. Ooty has become a 365-day tourist destination. People love rain, sunshine, fog and cold. Those who come to my shop already know that I sell chocolates with 90% cocoa. My customers do my marketing,” he says, adding, “The only way to repay their love is to offer consistent quality.”
Published – September 16, 2026 4:56 pm EST.