A luxury North Yorkshire hot chocolate brand has secured £110,000 in funding as it prepares to expand into Europe.
Northallerton-based 80Noir Ultra, a wellness business, has received £50,000 in angel investment to fund its wider growth and an additional £60,000 in non-dilutive innovation funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority's Great Ideas programme.
This funding will be used to further develop its premium cacao hot chocolate pod prototype, CocoaPod by 80Noir.
The business is now exploring new markets in Scandinavia, starting in Sweden, as well as France.
- Hot chocolate for children brand launched in North Yorkshire
- Happy Cocoa Club's Carole Armitage on the power of chocolate
- Unusual chocolate flavour success for Bon Bons and Choc Amor
- Terry's Chocolate Apple celebrated in York 100 years on
In addition to its expansion plans, 80Noir Ultra is looking to raise a further £390,000 investment to fund its longer-term growth plan of £500,000.
80Noir Ultra is following a trend of consumers moving towards chocolate with functional benefits.
Founder Carole Armitage (Image: Pic supplied)
According to the recent Deloitte Chocolate Study 2026, web searches for "healthy chocolate" have doubled in four years, reaching an all-time high in early 2026.
The company's luxury hot chocolate is crafted from real dark chocolate instead of conventional hot chocolate powders, providing higher cacao percentages.
The chocolate pieces can be dissolved in water or milk and come in three blends with varying depth and sweetness: 72 per cent, 87.5 per cent, and 100 per cent.
The business is also working with York Cocoa Works and the University of Leeds on the development and scale-up of CocoaPod by 80Noir.
The formulation has been established, and prototype development is ongoing.
80 Noir Ultra hot chocolate (Image: Sue Todd)
Michelin-starred The Star Inn at Harome and Cross House Lodge, also in Harome, North Yorkshire, have both agreed to trial the innovative Nespresso-compatible product once it reaches the appropriate stage of development.
Other hotels and hotel groups have also expressed an interest.
The brand has a growing retail presence and is stocked in a range of independent food halls and farm shops, including Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton, Campbell's of Leyburn, and Beadlam Grange near Helmsley.
It will also be hosting a one-week premium pop-up at Booths in Ilkley from November 30 to December 6.
Carole Armitage, who founded the business, has a unique connection to hot chocolate, having used it as a recovery drink during her time as a badminton player for England.
She later moved to London for a career in financial services, but long hours led to mental health challenges, where hot chocolate again played a comforting role.
Carole eventually left her job and embarked on a journey to create her own hot chocolate recipe, leading to the creation of 80Noir Ultra.
Last year, she sold her property and moved back to Yorkshire, investing everything into growing the business.
80Noir Ultra uses cacao grown in nutrient-rich volcanic soil, providing a naturally smooth, mineral-packed flavour.
Its products are vegan, gluten-free, coeliac-safe, sustainably sourced, and come with recyclable packaging.