Sachin Sharan, youth with autism, takes love for food to new heights with chocolate brand Sach Di’lites

From music to movies, Sachin Sharan and sister Diya share many common interests. They bring this synergy to their chocolate business as well. Called Sach Di’lites, their business venture started a year ago as a means to find a vocation for Sachin who is on the autism spectrum.

From fruit flavoured chocolates to gujiyas stuffed with chocolate, the range of sweet offerings at Sach Di’lites truly boggles the mind! This year-old venture is named after siblings Sachin and Diya Sharan.

Mom Charu Sharan says the aim was to find a vocation for 24-year-old Sachin, called Sach by his sister.

“Sachin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by the age of three”, says Charu, who is a trained special educator. At that time awareness about autism was little. “Sachin was non-verbal initially but developed need-based speech after therapy”.

Quest for a vocation

Sachin’s parents explored various therapies, even enrolling him in an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) programme in the United States. He spent the bulk of his initial years in an inclusive school in Delhi, after which he attended a special school. After school, Charu was looking for a suitable vocation for Sachin.

I wanted to find something that would be of interest to him and build his self-esteem. He is a foodie and like most youngsters is fond of chocolates. I saw a YouTube video on chocolate making and felt that the skills required in this vocation could be taught to Sachin. I did online training in professional chocolate making and took the help of another special educator to train Sachin. – Charu Sharan, Sachin & Diya’s mother

What started off small as now grown way beyond Charu’s expectations. Sach D’ilites started attracting demands from a growing number of people.

Unique themes & packaging

A visit to Sach Di’lites Facebook page throws up glowing reviews. “Absolutely lovely gift boxes. Perfect gift items for rakshabandhan (or for any other occasion as well). Everyone in my family, from kids to adults loved them”, says Pooja Srivastava.

“The chocolate had a great balance of flavour and texture”, said Indresh Kumar. The texture was smooth and silky and the quantity of sugar was also quite accurate”.

Together Diya and Sachin craft an amazing range customised to festivals and other special occasions. Sachin’s training has expanded beyond making chocolates to packaging.

“Currently Sachin works under supervision”, adds Charu. “We plan to involve more young adults with special needs and even persons from the underprivileged strata once the venture grows bigger”. There are also plans to launch a range of liqueur chocolates.

At present Sach Di’lites operates from home and for Diya, the venture is also an opportunity tp spend time with her older brother, who she calls Sach, the nickname that inspired the brand name. “It’s fun doing our chocolate making together”.

Click here to know more about Sach Di’lites.

Also Read:

• Chiranthana’s theatre-based interventions are working wonders in the lives of people with disabilities