The campaign, which has a target of $500,000, started in brisk fashion on Monday, opening at 9.30am and reaching its minimum target of $300,000 by 10am.
Before it opened, existing shareholders had already committed about $250,000 to the campaign.
Ocho board chairman and managing director Jim O’Malley said the PledgeMe campaign aimed to support the company’s growth by investing in new equipment, increasing capacity, and developing new markets.
‘‘Ocho is a community company that prides itself in its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility; from the Pacific where the beans are grown to Dunedin where they are turned into chocolate,’’ Dr O’Malley said.
The campaign would not close oversubscribed because the firm did not want to dilute existing holdings too much, he said.
The crowdfunding campaign can be found at the PledgeMe site at www.pledgeme.co.nz.
