First Chocolate & Co cafe to open in The Groves, York

Chocolate & Co will open in The Groves next month and will specialise in hot chocolate.

The venture is also trailblazing because some of its staff will be recruited from marginalised communities, such as ex-offenders and people struggling with addiction.

It is the brainchild of Linda Barrie, founder of successful York chocolate manufacturer, Choc Affair.

Linda set up a spin-off, Chocolate & Co, in 2021, establishing it as a charity, and initially sold hot chocolate from a mobile unit.

Now she is setting up the first Chocolate & Co cafe in Lowther Street, in the popular Groves area of the city, which will sell not only hot chocolate and chocolate milkshakes, but also serve breakfasts, pastries, light lunches, homemade cakes and bakes.

Coffee will be supplied by local firm York Coffee Emporium, which will also give the staff barista training.

Linda Barrie, inset, with her Chocolate & Co mobile unit

Linda, who set up her original Choc Affair business from her kitchen in Naburn in 2006, said the new business would help marginalised people find career opportunities.

She said: "We've been operating from our mobile drinks unit since October 2021, which has got us established, and increased our learning dramatically, and now we are ready for our next step, which will facilitate more jobs and hours, so benefitting more people."

Linda first began offering work to ex-offenders or addicts at Choc Affair when she was asked by a contact in the probation service to offer a job to a client. "We never looked back." She said she was committed to giving people a second chance, adding: "Life is not easy for a lot of people and any one of us can make a mistake."

Chocolate and Co is inspired by two former Choc Affair clients who struggled with addiction and who both died during the Covid pandemic.

Linda said: "We had two colleagues who worked with us at Choc Affair and who struggled with addiction. We had talked to them about creating a new chocolate brand but both died. That pushed us to do something."

The new cafe will have around 30 covers and initially will open from 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday.

Linda will be based at the cafe full-time for the foreseeable future alongside her daughter Mariah and colleagues Tom and Lisa.

"I think my role will be primary washer upper! I imagine we will all be doing all sorts, from baking cakes to making coffees and working in the back office," she added.

Hot chocolate will be the speciality, using a range of quality chocolate from Colombia, which will also be made in the traditional Colombian way using an Orleta jug and a molinillo wooden whisk, over a gas flame.

Linda and some of the team with keys to their new cafe in The Groves

Customers will be able to choose from a selection of milk, dark and caramel chocolate and add a choice of spices and toppings.

Linda said she was heartened by the warm welcome the team and the cafe was already receiving from the local community.

She said: "We've had so much support from other local businesses and funders. We couldn't have got this far without their help and generosity and we're really excited to be undergoing a rebrand, working closely with Laura from Dogeatcog - Laura has worked her magic, to create our new look, and it is warm, friendly, and once she has finalised the last few bits, we cannot wait to show it to everyone as it is very much inspired by the two friends we lost to their struggle with addiction."