YORK'S new chocolate factory - the £750,000 York Cocoa Works in Castlegate - is to open on Thursday, just in time for the Easter Bank Holiday.

It will provide an additional attraction for the hordes of visitors expected to descend on the city during one of York’s busiest times for tourism.

York Cocoa Works managing director Sophie Jewett said all equipment had been installed after logistical challenges posed by unloading items in York’s streets had been overcome, and the first shipment of cocoa had arrived from Peru, with more to come from Colombia, Solomon Islands, Ecuador, Sierra Leone and India over coming weeks.

“Now that the chocolate making has started, we’re looking forward to opening and sharing our chocolate with the people of York who have supported us throughout our journey,” she said.

“We will be opening at 10am on Thursday to coincide with York Chocolate Festival.

“Initially we will be opening our Cocoa Cafe, Chocolate Shop and with daily tasting tours available.

“We’re looking forward to sharing the story of chocolate making and the origin of our ingredients.”

She said the equipment had been manufactured especially to re-create the traditional chocolate manufacturing methodologies that were once crafted by Terry's and Rowntrees and the York Cocoa Works was situated in Castlegate opposite where the Tukes first worked with the finest cocoa from Caracas after 1785.

"For us its been a long journey, but we're delighted that with the help of York's chocolate makers, experts from the city who have worked with both Rowntree's and Terry's, our team are ready to start manufacturing what we hope will be outstanding chocolate," she said.

"We've developed a supply chain working with sugar and milk supplied from the UK, we're looking forward to working with Rainforest Alliance and our partners Olam for the supply of our own, sustainable cocoa butter.

"For us the most important elements have been about working with sustainable cocoa, working directly with the communities that grow it and finding the best cocoa to create our chocolate."