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This image was selected as a picture of the week on the Czech Wikipedia for th week, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you think of chocolate most people think of delicious treats and sweet indulgences, but Askinosie Chocolate is a company in Springfield, Missouri that uses chocolate to do good for communities around the globe.

Small batches of chocolate are created using the finest ingredients, but what many customers cannot stop talking about, and what makes Askinosie Chocolate really stand out is their Chocolate University program, which has a global outreach and a positive impact in many countries and neighborhoods. Profit sharing with the farmers who grow the ingredients used to create chocolate delicacies shows the commitment to ethical operations that the company insists on.

The Askinosie Chocolate Mission

The mission of Askinosie Chocolate is to serve the farmers that they purchase from, as well as the local and global neighborhoods and customers. The company founder believes in making the world a better place for everyone, and this is a goal that they are achieving. The company founder, Shawn Askinosie, travels to many less fortunate areas of the world to find the best possible ingredients of the highest quality. The company’s relationship with the farmers is exceptional.

Askinosie Chocolate has started Chocolate University, a program that helps to feed and benefit the children in the areas where the ingredients are sourced. In addition to helping in the local neighborhoods in Springfield. Missouri, the company also helps in neighborhoods and countries overseas. All of the proceeds from sales go to Drury University, and the company is the sole source of funding for the outreach program. Shawn wants to expose children to how the company works and help broaden their horizons beyond the local community and even the nation. Local schoolchildren in elementary and middle schools learn about the many aspects of social entrepreneurship, and these students learn first hand about the world outside of their community.

Askinosie Chocolate Summer Outreach

Every other summer Shawn Askinosie gathers together a group of high school juniors and seniors, and the group travels to Tanzania for roughly 10 days. During the trip, the group of students performs community service and they help to make the communities that they visit a better place to live. In the past the groups that Shawn has taken on these trips have built wells, and helps to equip the local schools in Tanzania with needed supplies and technology. Before leaving for Tanzania each student selected will spend some time at Drury University, where the students are taught about the culture and history of the Swahili nation. Students also learn about the chocolate making process and the cocoa beans sourced from this country.

The communities that are the source of the quality cocoa beans will benefit from the efforts of Shawn Askinosie. Products that are local in the area are selected to be sold by Askinosie Chocolate, and the proceeds from these sales are used for the community. Filipino hot chocolate is sold so that schoolchildren in the Philippines have food. A similar program is used with Tanzania rice. Teaching teens the importance of reaching beyond their local communities and neighborhoods is crucial, and Shawn Askinosie shows students how to reach out and have an impact in order to make the world a better place for everyone.

Let’s hear a bit about Askinosie Chocolate founder Shawn Askinosie

Rich, Chocolaty Questions

We would like your opinion on any of the questions below.  Scroll to the bottom of the page to comment.

• Would you be willing to travel to another country to improve the life of the children who live there?
• Would you give up several weeks of vacation in order to volunteer in the Chocolate University program?
• How do you choose between helping people in your local community, communities across the nation, or reaching even further out with your charitable efforts