Carole Armitage’s 80Noir Ultra secures £110,000 funding to expand its premium cacao hot chocolate into international markets
Northallerton-based wellness brand 80Noir Ultra has obtained £110,000 in funding to develop its high-end cacao hot chocolate range and explore export opportunities in Scandinavia and France, leveraging new product prototypes and strategic collaborations.
Northallerton wellness brand 80Noir Ultra has secured a fresh £110,000 to push ahead with its plans for growth and product development, as the business seeks to turn its premium cacao hot chocolate concept into a wider commercial proposition. The package includes £50,000 from angel investors and a further £60,000 through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Great Ideas programme, which offers innovation grants of up to £60,000 to help regional firms develop new products and become investment-ready, according to the authority and the UK government’s business support service.
The funding will be directed towards CocoaPod by 80Noir, the company’s prototype for a Nespresso-compatible hot chocolate pod. 80Noir Ultra is also working with York Cocoa Works and the University of Leeds on development and scale-up, while the formulation has already been set and prototype work continues. According to the business, interest is growing beyond Yorkshire, with Scandinavia, beginning with Sweden, and France now being explored as potential export markets. The company is also seeking an additional £390,000 to support a longer-term growth plan valued at £500,000.
The product sits in a market that has increasingly shifted towards so-called functional treats. Deloitte’s Chocolate Study 2026 found web searches for “healthy chocolate” have doubled over four years, reaching a record high in early 2026. 80Noir Ultra says its drinks are made with real dark chocolate rather than conventional cocoa powder, and are offered in three strengths: 72 per cent, 87.5 per cent and 100 per cent cacao. The drinks can be mixed with water or milk, and the company highlights their vegan, gluten-free and coeliac-safe credentials, alongside recyclable packaging and sustainably sourced ingredients.
Founder Carole Armitage’s route into the business began on the badminton court, where she used hot chocolate as a recovery drink while representing England. After moving into financial services in London, she says long hours and the pressures of that career affected her mental health, and hot chocolate again became a source of comfort. She later left the sector to develop her own recipe, before returning to Yorkshire last year after selling her home and putting everything into the business. The brand now has a growing retail footprint in independent food halls and farm shops, including Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton, Campbell’s of Leyburn and Beadlam Grange near Helmsley. Michelin-starred The Star Inn at Harome and Cross House Lodge in Harome have agreed to trial the CocoaPod once it is ready, while Booths in Ilkley is due to host a week-long premium pop-up from November 30 to December 6.
The winners of the inaugural Women in Food & Drink Awards were revealed at a ceremony last month. Discover our winners here: https://wifdawards.com/WIFDA26/en/page/home If you would like to be involved in the 2027 WIFDAs, register your interest here: https://wifdawards.com/WIFDA26/en/page/register-your-interest-for-2027
