Drinking chocolate brand Islands Chocolate has secured a retail listing at Waitrose and has launched across over 130 stores nationwide.

This expansion marks a major step for the brand as the second national retailer partnership within the past 12 months after launching at Tesco last year.

The brand has already gained significant traction among leading independent cafés, coffee roasters and retailers such as Ocado, Whole Foods Market and Selfridges.

Islands Chocolate’s Waitrose range includes a classic hot chocolate powder and mini hot chocolate powder in 200g formats each.

The drinking chocolate brand has a goal of making farm-to-table drinking more accessible across the country and aims to provide traceable speciality chocolate.

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Founder & CEO of Islands Chocolate, Wilf Marriott, said: “Hot chocolate is having a major ‘grown-up’ moment, and we couldn’t be more excited to launch Islands Chocolate at Waitrose for our food lovers.

“We’ve seen a shift toward shoppers looking for chocolate with real provenance, and this brand hits that sweet spot perfectly. It’s incredibly rich, silky, and has that authentic ‘proper chocolate’ taste that makes every cup feel like a total indulgence.”

According to the business, this aligns with Waitrose’s brand mission to back products which are ethically sourced for conscious shoppers.

The hot drinks buyer at Waitrose, Polly Astbury, said: “Built on a commitment to zero slavery, zero child labour, zero deforestation and fair pay for farmers at every step, Islands Chocolate exists to prove that what’s good for the people who grow cocoa is equally good for the people who enjoy it.”