A teacher asked for chocolates. Now Mariyam Sanam makes them by the thousand
Mariyam Sanam runs Sanu's Home Made Chocolate from her home in Thalassery, Kerala. She makes personalised chocolates for weddings, nikahs, birthdays and new babies, and her biggest order so far was 1,500 chocolates.
Mariyam Sanam’s first chocolate order came from a teacher. She had finished her 12th standard and joined a fashion designing course, and her teacher asked her to make chocolates for a programme.
She shared them with relatives and friends too, and they liked them enough to tell her so. “Their appreciation encouraged me, and a dream slowly grew in my heart,” she says. The dream was a chocolate business of her own.
It took a few years and a marriage before she started. Today she runs Sanu’s Home Made Chocolate from her home in Thalassery, in Kerala’s Kannur district, and makes personalised chocolates for birthdays, weddings, nikahs, engagements, anniversaries and new babies.
At a glance
- Business
- Sanu’s Home Made Chocolate
- Started from home
- Based in
- Thalassery, Kerala
- Kannur district
- Biggest order
- 1,500 chocolates
- Every piece handmade
- Makes
- Personalised chocolates
- Boxes, hampers and return gifts
01 · Before
A homemaker with plans of her own
Before the business, Mariyam was a homemaker. “I always had dreams and a passion for creating something of my own,” she says.
She kept making chocolates as a hobby. A few years after her marriage she decided to sell them, with her husband and family behind her.
02 · The first orders
Friends, relatives, and then strangers
She started from home and still works from home. Her first customers were the people who had been eating her chocolates for years: friends and relatives. “Their love and appreciation gave me the confidence to continue,” she says.
Most of her customers want something made for one day. A box with a couple’s initials for an engagement. Small heart chocolates wrapped one by one as nikah return gifts. A floral box for a newborn. Customers pick the occasion and the look, and she makes it.
From her Instagram
Chocolates wrapped with a couple’s initials, for an engagement party. 
A box for a newborn, in green foil. 
White chocolate hearts with strawberry centres. 
Dry fruit chocolates in a floral gift box. 
Gold-wrapped chocolates, bagged as gifts.
03 · The hard part
1,500 chocolates, one pair of hands
Mariyam does the work herself, alongside running a house, and says she enjoys both. The bulk orders are what test it.
My biggest challenges come when I receive bulk orders with tight deadlines, as I have to manage everything on my own within a short period.
One wedding order was for 1,000 chocolates, made in two days. Another was 1,000 return gifts for a nikah. Her biggest so far was 1,500 chocolates. Every piece is handmade.
The other problem is ingredients. Finding good raw materials, and finding them every time, has been hard. She has handled both the same way: she plans bulk orders well ahead, manages her time more carefully than she used to, and puts real effort into sourcing good ingredients.
04 · What changed
Her own money, and what she did with it
The business gave her confidence and an income of her own. She is proud of the customers who come back again and again, and of a newspaper feature. One of the moments she is proudest of is a private one.
Another special milestone was being able to buy gifts for my parents with my own earnings and buy bangles for my mother and mother-in-law.
How it grew
After 12th standard
Chocolates for a programme
Her fashion designing teacher asks her to make chocolates for an event.
The years after
A hobby she keeps up
She keeps making chocolates and sharing them with relatives and friends.
After her marriage
Sanu’s Home Made Chocolate begins
She starts selling from home. Friends and relatives are the first customers.
Along the way
In the newspaper
Malayala Manorama features her and the business.
Today
Orders of up to 1,500
Her biggest order so far was 1,500 chocolates, and gift orders have gone as far as Dubai.
05 · Faith
Halal income, honest dealing
Mariyam says her faith guides how she runs the business: honesty with customers, good ingredients, and respect for everyone she deals with.
Earning halal income and treating everyone with respect are very important to me.
She tries, she says, to do the work “with sincerity, care, and gratitude to Allah.”
Her advice if you are starting out
Be patient and consistent
Follow your passion, and give it time.
Start small
Don’t be afraid of a small start. Hers was friends and relatives.
Don’t compromise on ingredients
Focus on product quality and always use good raw materials.
Plan the big orders
Plan bulk orders carefully and manage your time wisely.
Treat every customer well
Deal with every customer with honesty and care.
In her words
Why did you start this business?
I started this business because making chocolates was always my passion and a dream close to my heart. I wanted to turn something I truly loved into my own business, become independent, and bring happiness to people through my handmade chocolates.
Who has been part of the journey?
My husband, my family, and my friends have been my biggest supporters throughout this journey. They have always encouraged me, believed in my dreams, and motivated me to keep going.
Where do you want the business to be in five years?
In the next five years, I want to grow my home-based chocolate business into a well-known and trusted brand. I dream of reaching more customers, handling bigger orders, expanding my product range, and building a strong business while maintaining the quality and love behind every chocolate.
Is there anything you want people to know?
My dream is to grow further, create a trusted brand, and inspire other women to follow their passions and believe in themselves.
This story is based on Mariyam’s answers to our story interview. Photos are from Sanu’s Home Made Chocolate on Instagram.
