Picture this: misty hills all around as a cup of hazelnut hot chocolate awaits. A perfect setting unfolds at Moddy’s confectionery and bakery in Udhagamandalam, The Nilgiris, as it completes 75 years of serving chocolates. As I enjoy the velvety chocolate drink, baked cheese cake served with a drizzle of milk chocolate and triple chocolate hazelnut gateaux beckon. While the baked cheese cake is dense, creamy, chocolatey and almost melt-in-the-mouth, the triple chocolate one comes with layers of luscious chocolate.
Modern Stores retains the old name board
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
“Tourists visiting Ooty stop by for our hot chocolate,” says Muralidhar Rao, the managing director, adding that the Moddy’s version is European in style: thick, creamy and chocolate-forward rather than dominated by milk. “We have as many as 10 varieties including classic, 70 percent extra dark, salted caramel, Mexican spice, pistachio, cookie and cream, and also an intense orange besides mixed berries. We also pair them with Ooty strawberries and blueberries to support farmers here.”
Tourists enjoying hot chocolate
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Muralidhar is the owner of Modern Stores, started in 1951 by his father Janardhan Rao. What began as a modest confectionery section attached to Modern Stores gradually became Moddy’s. “Hostel kids back then used to shorten Modern Stores to Moddy’s and that’s how the name became our brand. Butlers who worked for the British shared their recipes with us. Over the years, the handful of chocolate varieties sold at the store has expanded to encompass over 100 varieties of chocolates, truffles, ganaches and fudge,” he says adding that the colonial legacy played a significant role in the popularity of chocolates among residents and tourists.
As tourism grew, Moddy’s chocolates travelled far and wide. “My dad used classic recipes using cocoa butters and without vegetable oils, a legacy we hold on to. What my father taught me was if the recipe has butter, it has to be butter and what you serve your kid is what you sell. We pick our cocoa directly from farmers across Mangaluru, Kerala and Andhra.”
Chocolate cakes at Moodys in Udhagamandalam.
Photo: Sathyamoorthy M/ THE HINDU
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Muralidhar describes Moddy’s as a chocolate-based, large format confectionery and bakery where you can pick up ice creams, chocolates, beverages, and coffee. “I was literally born in a chocolate factory,” he says. The production unit was behind his house and he spent time with the butlers watching chocolates in the making. By the age of 14, he was making chocolates.
The factory is run entirely by women.
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Today, Moddy’s makes over 1,000 products, all eggless from the in-house kitchens, run entirely by women. There are more than 200 varieties of chocolate, around 25 varieties of fudge, and a bakery range that runs into hundreds of products, from croissants, Danishes and baguettes to sourdoughs, Korean buns,varkeys and rusks. “As vegetarians, I remember our childhood. We couldn’t eat pastries and cakes because they always had eggs,” he says, adding, “I thought, why not make them without eggs?”
He also experimented with the Japanese cake without eggs, traditionally made with egg whites. “Constant research is an absolute must for innovation. Our R&D runs for 365 days. My approach has always been hands-on. I first learn and then train my team,” he says recalling his travels across Europe exploring chocolate traditions and his visits to Gelato University in Italy to study the craft. “We make gelatos in 60 flavours now.”
Chocolates sell from ₹2000 a kilo up to ₹7000
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Among the chocolates, the classic roasted almond, in milk and dark chocolate variants, has been a top-seller for the past five decades while the hot chocolate has a cult following. “I have people travelling from Mysuru and Coimbatore just to have the hot chocolate. Our hazelnut gateaux served with milk chocolate, special ganache layered cake, chocolate ice cream, and Korean buns became a rage. From making 100 Korean buns a day we have touched 1000 a day, with people queuing up. We have a lot of success stories. Our cheesecake with chocolate was a big hit as well. We sell chocolates from ₹2000 a kilo up to ₹7000. We make our fudge the traditional way where we melt the fudge in a marble slab to ensure quality. Everything counts,” he explains.
The Korean buns became a rage
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Today, they make around 15 to 20 tonnes of chocolate a month, depending on the season. An outlet in Conoor came up in 2018 and more followed in Kotagiri, Wellington, Yercaud, Kodaikanal and Ulundurpet. All stores are spread across 2,000 to 4,500 sq ft, making them family-friendly rather than premium chocolate destinations. Over the next three years, stores are planned in Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Mangaluru, Madikkeri, Kozhikode,Thrissur and Kochi. “We have addressed the challenge of transporting chocolate, bakery products and gelatos from a hill station through temperature-controlled storage and logistics.”
Hot chocolate comes in as many as 10 flavours
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
During the pandemic, Moddy’s also revived traditional Udupi recipes and added Kruthis Snacks now sold at the store as well as online. Having served governors, the current President of India, and several other personalities in films, and politics (Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to their factory during his Ooty visit in 2023!), he describes quality and consistency as central to their chocolate-making tradition.
Moddy’s outlet in Udhagamandalam
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
“My idea is to showcase what a small town in The Nilgiris can serve the country. Ooty has become a 365-day tourist destination. People love the rains, sunshine, mist, and cold. Those entering my store are already aware that I sell chocolates with 90% cocoa. My customers do my marketing,” he says, adding, “The only way to payback their love is offering quality that is consistent.”
Published – September 16, 2026 04:56 pm IST
