Askinosie Chocolate

Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer based in Springfield, Missouri. Shawn Askinosie was recently named by O, The Oprah Magazine, as "One of 14 Guys Who Are Saving the World." They said, "Why we're fans: The philanthropically-minded chocolate entrepreneur aims to get students thinking about business ethics in a way that could have ripple effects for generations." Askinosie, founder and chocolate maker at Askinosie Chocolate, spent nearly 20 years as a criminal defense attorney before he started making chocolate. In 2007 he sold his first chocolate bar and Askinosie Chocolate began.

Products

Askinosie Chocolate bars are crafted from 100% traceable, single-origin cocoa beans from four regions: San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador; Davao, Philippines; Cortes, Honduras; and Tenende, Tanzania.[1] Though specializing in dark chocolate bars, their product line includes dark milk chocolate, white chocolate made from scratch, all natural cocoa powder, roasted cocoa nibs and chocolate hazelnut spread. Their new CollaBARation line, features various craft, artisan food manufacturers’ products in their dark chocolate bars. It includes a black licorice bar in collaboration with Lakritsfabriken, a coffee bar in collaboration with Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, and a malted milk bar in collaboration with Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

Social and community impact

Though a small business, Askinosie Chocolate seeks to have a social impact. Their mission is to serve their farmers, their neighborhood, their customers, and each other; sharing the Askinosie Chocolate Experience by leaving the world a better place than they found it. Social responsibility is at the foundation of their business model. First, they seek to have an impact globally and accomplish this through their involvement in the villages and farms from which they source their cocoa beans. They source all of their cocoa beans directly from the farmers, pay above Fair Trade prices, and engage in net profit sharing, giving the farmers A Stake in the Outcome. They also have programs in place to impact their local community.

Sustainable nutrition programs

During one of Shawn’s bean sourcing trips in Davao, Philippines, he learned of a nutrition problem at the village’s Malagos Elementary School, where many of the students suffer from malnutrition. In an effort to meet this need, Askinosie Chocolate began a sustainable nutrition program by selling Tableya, a traditional Filipino hot chocolate beverage made of roasted cocoa beans that are milled into tablets. The PTA of Malagos Elementary produced Tableya and shipped them to Springfield, MO in the same container the cocoa beans were shipped. 100% of the sales from Tableya went to provide meals for the students at Malagos. Each package provides 232 meals, which will be purchased from disaster relief organization, Convoy of Hope, and prepared by the school’s PTA.[2] This program was successful in just a few weeks and over 185,000 meals were provided. Tableya will return in the Fall of 2012 to continue the nutrition program. A similar program is being developed in Tenende, Tanzania to meet a similar need.

Chocolate University

Chocolate University was created to benefit the children of the Askinosie Chocolate factory neighborhood. Nearby Drury University is a partner in this endeavor. It was formed with a vision to provide a learning experience to Boyd Elementary, Pipkin Middle School, and local high school students through the lens of artisan chocolate making. Shawn Askinosie was motivated to found this program because he wanted to reach out to the neighborhood children. The factory is located in the Historic Commercial Street District and is one block from the Missouri Hotel, Springfield’s largest homeless shelter, where too many children have to spend the night. Many of the kids attend nearby schools just blocks from the factory and near Drury University. The goals of the project are to inspire the children about (1) social entrepreneurship and (2) a world beyond their own. Askinosie Chocolate is the sole funding source of Chocolate University by donating 100% of their tour proceeds to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The many projects of Chocolate University are designed to impact the children of the neighborhood.

Central High School

Thirteen juniors from Central High School (Springfield, Missouri) were selected out of over 60 applicants to participate with Askinosie Chocolate in the selection of their next cocoa bean source country in Africa as part of an 18-month-long cooperative learning project. The students met every week with Shawn Askinosie to learn about chocolate, cocoa beans, share research and discuss the cocoa country choices. Chocolate University raised the money to bring the students (along with some teachers) to a remote village in Tanzania to meet the farmers they helped select. They also funded a deep water well to provide clean water to the 2,000 villagers of Tenende. This marks the first time that a chocolate maker has traded directly with a Tanzanian cocoa farmer group. They specifically sought a woman led cocoa farmer group and Mama Kyeja – now pictured on the front of the chocolate bar package - left an indelible impression on them all. The success of the trip can best be summed up by the text message that one student sent to his mother during the trip that said: “this is the best day of my life.”

The Chocolate University students and Askinosie Chocolate raised money for math, science, and English textbooks for Mwaya Secondary School located next to Tenende village. When they visited the school they learned that 1,100 students have only 10 teachers, no textbooks (until now), and no electricity. Chocolate University also funded the Empowered Girls Club at Mwaya School so young girls can realize their value, have self-esteem, and achieve their dreams. The aim of Chocolate University is to improve the retention rate among young girls from Form 1 to Form 2. Currently, there is a very high dropout rate.

Shawn Askinosie will take another group of high school students to Tanzania again in the summer of 2012. They will work with cocoa farmers, help implement a nutrition program at Mwaya School, and work with the Empowered Girls Club.

Boyd Elementary School

Askinosie Chocolate is involved in every unit of study of the fourth / fifth grade classes of Boyd Elementary School.[3] The students learn about the business methods of Askinosie Chocolate and feel like they are part of the business as Chocolate University students. They come to the factory and get hands on experience in ways that no tour of the factory would offer.

Pipkin Middle School

The Malagos Elementary School in Davao, Philippines is in the heart of the area where Askinosie Chocolate cocoa beans are sourced. Shawn Askinosie visits this school on his trips to Davao, he has met the children, given them chocolate and told them about the Chocolate University program. That school did not have Internet connectivity or a computer. Pipkin students (through this program) raised the money enabling the school in Davao to purchase the necessary equipment and services to connect them to the net so they can both participate in a cross cultural exchange. Askinosie sent the Malagos students Flip Cameras and they have exchanged videos with the Pipkin students. Askinosie Chocolate also facilitated the donation of water filters through Convoy of Hope to the Malagos School. The relationship continues.

Victory House Women's Shelter

This nearby women’s shelter and educational program houses women in need. These women are employed by Askinosie Chocolate to tie the strings that are placed at the top of every Askinosie chocolate bar package. The strings come from the bags of cocoa beans that the women take apart and re-use. The women use the money earned to take short distance field trips and create special projects to help others in need.

Factory tours

A weekly public tour occurs every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. The duration of the tour is 45 minutes and costs $4/adults and $3/students and children (All of the proceeds go to Chocolate University). They recommend making a reservation online as the maximum capacity per tour is 30 people.

Awards and features

Winner of the NASFT Silver sofi 2009, 2010, 2011 [4]

London Academy of Chocolate's 2011 Best Bean to Bar Dark Chocolate Gold and Silver WInner, Best Bean to Bar Milk Chocolate Silver Winner, and Best Packaging Gold Winner

Named one of the best chocolates of the south by Southern Living Magazine (Feb. 2012)

Sipping Chocolate featured in Wall Street Journal (Feb. 2012)

Named one of the best artisan American-made chocolates by Bon Appetit (Mar. 2012)

Featured on the cover of Specialty Food Magazine (Mar. 2012)

Featured in Oprah Magazine (Feb. 2011)

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Stone, Brad (March 27, 2009). "Forging a Hot Link to the Farmer Who Grows the Food.". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  2. ↑ Turnage, Neal (June 6, 2009). Of the Philippines and Cocoa Beans. Four Seasons Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-2.
  3. ↑ Drury University. Partnership Established Among Askinosie Chocolate, Drury University and Boyd Elementary Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  4. ↑ http://www.specialtyfood.com/do/focused/SofiAwards. Retrieved 2009-8-11.

External links

  1. Askinosie Chocolate Homepage.
  2. Silva, Jill Wendholt (February 12, 2008). Kansas City Star. "Passing the bar: Former criminal defense lawyer turns artisan chocolate maker". Retrieved 2009-8-11.
  3. Shawn Askinosie on Bloomberg Venture. Retrieved 2009-8-11.
  4. Askinosie San Jose Del Tambo Dark Chocolate Nibble Bar. Review