Askinosie Chocolate facts for kids
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| Industry | Bean to Bar Chocolate |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 2007 |
| Founder | Shawn Askinosie |
| Products | Single Origin Chocolate |
Askinosie Chocolate is a special company that makes chocolate from scratch, starting with the cocoa beans. They are located in Springfield, Missouri, in the United States. This company is known for making "bean-to-bar" chocolate, which means they handle every step of the chocolate-making process themselves, from roasting the beans to molding the bars.
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How Askinosie Chocolate Started
Shawn Askinosie, the person who started Askinosie Chocolate, used to be a lawyer for almost 20 years. He helped people in court. But then, he decided to follow a different path and started making chocolate! In 2007, he sold his very first chocolate bar, and that's how Askinosie Chocolate began its journey.
Working with Cocoa Farmers
Askinosie Chocolate believes in something called direct trade. This means they work directly with the farmers who grow cocoa beans. They build strong, lasting friendships with these farmers and their communities. This way, they can make sure the cocoa beans are of the best quality.
The company also shares its profits with the cocoa farmers. This is more than just paying a fair price; it means the farmers get a share of the money the company earns. Askinosie Chocolate has been doing this since the very beginning. This idea helps everyone involved feel like they own a part of the business, which makes everyone work together better.
Delicious Chocolate Products
Askinosie Chocolate bars are made from cocoa beans that can be traced back to where they came from. This means they know exactly which farm and region the beans grew in. They get their special cocoa beans from places like San Jose Del Tambo and Zamora in Ecuador, Davao in the Philippines, and Mababu in Tanzania.
While they are famous for their dark chocolate bars, they also make other yummy treats. These include dark milk chocolate, white chocolate (which they make from scratch), natural cocoa powder, roasted cocoa nibs (which are crunchy pieces of cocoa bean), and chocolate hazelnut spread. They even have a special line called "CollaBARation" where they mix their dark chocolate with products from other small food makers.
Helping Kids with Nutrition
Shawn Askinosie learned about a problem at Malagos Elementary School in Davao, Philippines, during one of his trips to buy cocoa beans. Many students there didn't have enough good food to eat. To help, Askinosie Chocolate started a special program to provide healthy meals.
They did this by selling a traditional Filipino hot chocolate drink called Tableya. The parents at Malagos Elementary School made the Tableya and sent it to Springfield, Missouri, in the same shipping containers that carried the cocoa beans. Every bit of money from selling Tableya went to feed the students at Malagos. Each package of Tableya sold provided 232 meals for the children. These meals were bought from a group called Convoy of Hope and prepared by the school's parent-teacher association.
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