Askinosie

Their story begins when father Shawn Askinosie leaves a successful law practice, falls in love with making chocolate from scratch, and invests his life savings to help launch one of the first craft chocolate companies in the U.S. His daughter Lawren, unsure at first, works alongside him part-time while in university.

He travels to remote regions of Ecuador, the Amazon, Tanzania, and the Philippines to source beans directly from smallholder farmers and share profits with them. She joins him, focusing on empowering women farmers and girls in their communities.

Handcrafted in small batches at a micro-factory in southwest Missouri, the chocolate earns awards and finds its way onto shelves across the country. Father and daughter co-author a book about his journey and the company’s mission, spreading the word about delicious, ethical chocolate that directly supports cocoa farmers. Who knows what the next decade will bring?

From the start, Askinosie Chocolate has been committed to fairness, sustainability, minimal environmental impact, and strengthening communities. The goal is not only to make exceptional chocolate, but to make it in a way that feels better the more you learn about it—and they’re grateful you’re part of the story.