Go to the mall, walk through a high-end supermarket or browse the web and you’ll come across hundreds of familiar brands. Brands that have grown rapidly, sell by the crate and have little or no charm. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find entrepreneurs who’ve made a name for themselves in Goa with brands that offer something unique to the Goan market.
Support These Goan Brands
So I decided to list some great Goan brands you can support.
But before I get into that, I’d like to state a few things. While there are dozens of home-grown brands in Goa, I’ve listed a mere handful here because:
- I’ve personally tried them and can vouch for the quality
- While most brands’ reach is limited to the owners’ friends, family and/or neighbourhood, these brands I’ve listed are easily available and can be found in stores and ordered online.
DARUFILLS
As the name suggests, these are chocolates filled with boozy goodness! This Goa-based chocolate brand is located in Quepem and offers around a dozen varieties of truffles filled with all kinds of liquor from Cashew Feni to Baudin French Brandy and Cabo Coconut Rum to Ti Connie Coffee liquor. If you’re shopping for a birthday present or a parting gift for a friend visiting Goa from out of town, their assorted truffles come in a smartly packed box, that’s good enough for gifting. That said, the wrappings of the individual pieces inside could be more refined.
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Darufills also offers sweet treats such as Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate-coated cashews and almonds, peanut butter cups and more. You can order Darufills online and have them delivered to you. Just like any other shopping website, you will be notified at every step of the delivery process.
TOFFEE DOODLE
If you think that classic desserts are best left untouched, you need to meet Toffee Doodle, based in Margao. The brand is known for adding its signature twist to desserts in the form of molten toffee. Their Brigadeiro dessert of Brazilian origin is a cross between fudge, caramel, and chocolate truffle and is loaded with chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, and molten chocolate.
With liquid toffee swirled in, this dessert is just sinful! I have yet to try their Serra Durra cups (with toffee, of course), which is the first product they launched. Grab their products from major supermarkets and stack them in the fridge for a midnight snack. If you have friends and family over for a meal, try giving out Toffee Doodle pudding cups instead of making/ordering one dessert to share. It’s sure to be a hit!
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TEA TRUNK
A brand based in Porvorim, Tea Trunk is reputed the world over for its hand-crafted brews possessing ingredients that are directly sourced from farmers around the country. If you love whole-leaf, flavourful teas, you can sip some of Tea Trunks offerings in many cafes in Goa such as Baba Au Rhum and Urban Café. Or, buy some of their tea online – it comes in adorable tin boxes and makes for great gifts. The range includes gourmet teas such as Marigold Green Tea, Rose Oolong, Lavender While Tea, Saffron Kahwa, and a dozen others. Tear open a teabag and you can pick all the fresh ingredients apart – that natural are they!
HOMEMADE SAUSAGES by RICH GOAN SPICE
Did you really think I’d NOT write about Goan Sausages? There are many, many brands selling packed chorizo rosary beads at your local supermarket, but HomeMade Sausages by Rich Goan Spice from Pilerne has always been my mother’s pick, and because of that, mine too. If you don’t want to shop for Goan Sausages sold loose at Mapusa market, pick up a few of these to carry along on a flight. They are available at most supermarkets.
If you think another local brand of Goan sausages is better than this one, let me know in the comments below.
I’ll add some more local Goan brands to this post soon! In the meantime, check out Ninoshka, a sustainable fashion brand based in Goa. You may also like to read The Secret of The Sea, a novel based in Goa by a young Goan author.
Signing off for now! Byeee!
