After his last trial in 2006, Askinosie
spent a year setting up the company, and in May 2007 he sold his first single-origin chocolate bar. The former lawyer prides himself on not only sourcing 100 percent of the beans directly from farmers in Ecuador, Honduras, the Philippines and Tanzania but also establishing an equitable business. He created A Stake in the Outcome, a profit-sharing program for the farmers. "It's better than fair trade," Askinosie contends. "We're very tied into the communities we work with." The company has since won numerous
awards for its single-origin chocolates and, with only 10 full-time employees, has made an impact on the local community as well. "The area we're in is being revitalized, and there are a lot of social services including a homeless center down the block that houses
many kids and their families. From the first chocolate bar, we started a project in our community called Chocolate University [chocolateuniversity.org], where we engage young people in our business, from elemen- tary through high school," to broaden their worldview and introduce them to entrepre- neurship, Askinosie explains. In a recent project with the local high school, the choc- olate company selected 13 juniors to help choose a location in Africa to source beans. "They chose Tanzania, and we were able to bring all 13 kids over with us, where we built and dedicated a water well to the com- munity," Askinosie says. "We funded that trip by doing tours of the factory, of which 100 percent of proceeds go to the project, as well as from donations around the country." Today, Askinosie Chocolate has 500 retail accounts, plus a Swedish distributor
Shawn Askinosie, founder of Askinosie Chocolate
who is the company's single largest custom- er. The business grew by exhibiting at the Fancy Food Shows and continues to call on retailers domestically. With approximately
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