financial literacy and explains how each person's work affects the success of the business.
In 2011 Askinosie was named "One of 14
Guys Who Are Saving the World" by O, The
Oprah Magazine; in 2012 he was awarded
an honorary doctorate in public affairs from
Missouri State University in recognition of
his contributions.
Creating a new business model has had
its challenges. "We're swimming against the
current of traditional business practices that
think philanthropy must be separate from
the core business," he says. "But it's more
fulfilling this way, it's more fun and the
people that are in your organization find it
more rewarding to focus on something bigger than profitability."
Today, Askinosie Chocolate has 500
retail accounts with about 20 products—
many of them award-winners—including
single-origin chocolate bars, chocolate nibs,
baking ingredients and bulk items.
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Impact
Askinosie has continually looked for ways to
educate people about his social passions. He
started Chocolate University to inspire and
educate local Springfield students about social
entrepreneurship and the world. Recently,
he brought a group of high-school students
to Tenede, Tanzania, where they met with
cacao farmers and worked on a self-sustaining
school-lunch effort and assisting in implementing a video learning program. Chocolate
University funded the first computer teacher,
the first textbooks and a deep-water well for
the village, and implemented the Empowered
Girls club, aimed at increasing the retention
and graduation rate of female students.
Going Forward
As a way to combat hunger, Askinosie
Chocolates partners with parent-teacher
associations in the countries where beans are
sourced to create products to support local
school-lunch programs. A great success is
Tableya, a traditional Filipino hot chocolate
beverage tablet created by the PTA members
