Mrs. Andal Balu and her husband Dr. M. Balu have been serial entrepreneurs for over two decades. They started their first company, Inno Concepts, in 1992 to address the unmet need for traditional equipment for authentic Indian cooking. Inno Concepts began distributing grinders and quickly expanded into a full suite of innovative equipment.

In 2005, Andal and Balu identified a need in the chocolate industry for a cost effective Melangers and Grindeurs for grinding cocoa beans. Subsequently, Andal and Balu launched CocoaTown to design, develop, manufacture and distribute specialty, multipurpose equipment for bean to bar industry. CocoaTown has enabled entrepreneurs around the world to produce artisan bean to bar chocolates. Both of them are deeply involved in their local community, serving on the Board of Directors for various cultural and charitable organizations. They have also organized numerous fundraising events over the last 25 years to raise money for various charities in India.

Andal holds a Master’s degree in Botany and worked as an agricultural scientist for Indian government before moving to the US. A high-powered businesswoman, she likes inventing new recipes, and is constantly learning about anything and everything related to chocolates and machines. She enjoys traveling the world to meet her customers and to learn about different cultures and customs.