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A North Yorkshire luxury hot chocolate brand is preparing to expand into Europe after securing £110,000 in investment and grants.
Northallerton-based 80Noir Ultra is targeting Sweden and France, with plans to expand further across Scandinavia.
The company has raised £50,000 from angel investors to fund its growth.
It also secured £60,000 in innovation funding through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Great Ideas programme, without giving up a stake in the business.
Carole Armitage, founder of 80Noir Ultra, said: "From being a child, chocolate has always been an important part of my life.
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"When I was in hospital at the age of eight with low blood sugar and low blood pressure, I was given hot chocolate to help.
"As a teenager, I played badminton for England and I again drank hot chocolate, this time for recovery after games.
"But I never liked the taste: it was so sweet and artificial."
The company is seeking another £390,000 to reach its £500,000 growth target.
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The money will also fund development of its premium cacao hot chocolate pod, CocoaPod by 80Noir.
80Noir Ultra is working with York Cocoa Works and the University of Leeds to scale up CocoaPod, with the recipe set and prototype under development.
Ms Armitage said she launched the business after a personal turning point.
She said: "I’d leave the house at 5am and often got a taxi home at 2am.
"I experienced a variety of mental health challenges, and hot chocolate was the anchor that kept me sane.
"At one point, I was lying down at the chiropractor and just burst into tears.
"They told me this was emotional pain and recommended I book onto a retreat.
"I spent a week on a silent retreat in Cornwall.
"I came home a completely different person.
"I immediately quit my job and realised that I needed a total reset.
"I also knew that chocolate would be part of that.
"I want to create a better chocolate for a better tomorrow.
"This personal experience has ultimately shaped my belief that hot chocolate can be something much more than an occasional sweet indulgence.
"We need to reframe hot chocolate; it’s about creating modern rituals with exceptional cacao."
80Noir Ultra makes its hot chocolate with real dark chocolate, not conventional powders, in 72 per cent, 87.5 per cent and 100 per cent cacao varieties.
The chocolate pieces dissolve in water or milk. The company also sells a children’s range and The 8pm Ritual, a luxury hot chocolate with magnesium-containing spice blends.
Hotels and restaurants are showing interest in the brand.
Michelin-starred The Star Inn at Harome and Cross House Lodge have agreed to trial the Nespresso-compatible CocoaPod once development advances.
Other hotels and groups have also shown interest.
80Noir Ultra already sells through independent food halls and farm shops, including Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton, Campbell’s of Leyburn and Beadlam Grange near Helmsley.
It is also running a one-week premium pop-up at Booths in Ilkley from November 30 to December 6.
Ms Armitage launched the business after retraining in chocolate making and travelling to Paris to develop her own recipe.
She said: "I had to commit to ordering 500kg of product straight away.
"That was a lot of hot chocolate to store in my London flat."
Last year, she sold her property, returned to Yorkshire and invested everything in the business.
80Noir Ultra uses cacao grown in volcanic soil, which it says gives the chocolate a naturally smooth, mineral-rich flavour.
The chocolate is vegan, gluten-free and coeliac-safe, uses sustainably sourced ingredients and comes in recyclable packaging.
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The company is also exploring sustainable materials such as cacao shell powder.
Rising demand for healthier, functional chocolate is helping drive the company’s growth.
According to the Deloitte Chocolate Study 2026, web searches for "healthy chocolate" have doubled in four years, reaching an all-time high in early 2026.