What do you get when you cross a high stress career a criminal defense lawyer, a penchant for promoting social justice and fighting for the little guy, a passion for cooking, baking, and chocolate, and a hunger for change?
The road to success
A detour (that turns out to be a right turn) down a new path paved with, not only good intentions but also, chocolate! Following his bliss, Shawn Askinosie is bringing joy to the rest of the chocolate eating world and to the small farmers he works with who receive higher than fair trade market prices for their beans. By giving them a Stake in The Outcome, a business philosophy founded by Jack Stack, plus 10% of net profits from the chocolate made from the beans grown on their farms, Shawn is able to get the best of the best beans. He also nows the name of every farmer who grows the beans that go into his bars.
Location, location, location
Springfield, Missouri might not sound like it the chocolate Mecca of the world, although it could very well be the chocolate Mecca of the Midwest or the U.S. Even more crucial though is the source of the ingredients (especially when there are so few in the end product); this makes a hill of a big difference. Shawn buys his beans directly from small farmers. He uses a single variety of beans in each bar and each one bears the name of the region from which the beans came: Soconusco, Mexico, Davao, Philipines, and San Jose Del tambo, Ecuador.
Traceabilty
When you buy food directly from a farmer, you know more about the food, how and where it was grown, what went into it, how it was harvested and handled. This provides a greater level of accountability and a higher quality product. When I buy grassfed beef directly from a farmer I get single origin beef (meat from a single cow rather than from a collective meat bank that mixes meat from different cows and herds). The same is true for hand-made, small-batch, single-origin chocolate.
Shawn sought out farmers who were open to his input about how the beans are fermented and dried, which greatly affects the flavor of the end product. Buying anonymous beans from commodity brokers would not have allowed for this nor would it have created the distinctive flavor that each of his varietal bars posses. At the Askinosie Chocolate factory they even press their own cocoa butter.
From field to factory
Shawn chose the site for his factory, the construction methods and materials, as well as the heating, cooling, lighting, cleaning, packaging and shipping supplies with ecology in mind. We weighed the impact of every aspect of his operation on his immediate and global environment.
Another thing I love about this chocolate is that it's made from gluten-free ingredients in a gluten free facliity on on dedicated equipment that isn't use for anything else. So, this is celiac safe chocolate, for those of you who must follow a strict GF diet.
Perfect packaging
I was so excited when my sample package arrived, shortly before Christmas. I immediately liked the exquisitely but tastefully decorated brown paper packaging and the literature printed on paper that had obviously been made from post consumer waste paper.
Each chocolate wrapper features an image of the bean varietal's lead farmer along with a "choc-o-lot" number (that’s the date it was made)¬¬––so much more interesting than an "expiration date"––along with information about Askinosie’s real people, real places business practices. Btw: you can compost the natural flex biodegradable bags that hold the delicious bars and recycle the outer wrapping.
Speaking of the bars, here’s what I tried:
Davao Dark Milk Chocolate Bar + Fleur de Sel Sea Salt.
I normally avoid milk chocolate because I find it sickeningly sweet. This bar had a subtle but distinct sweetness, a slight tang from the goat milk, caramely notes, and a touch of bitterness. Really nice. It contains 62% cocoa, goat’s milk powder, organic sugar, and a touch of Fluer de Sel sea salt.
70% San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador Dark Chocolate Bar
This one had a distinctive fruity flavor and just the right amount of bitterness for me. Ingredients: 2% Asknosie Chocolate Cocoa Butter and 30% organic can sugar. That’s it!
75% Soconusco, Mexico Dark Chocolate Bar
This one was made from 1% Askinosie Chocolate Cocoa Butter and 25% organic cane sugar. This one had a robust, intensely deep, dark chocolaty flavor. You probably already know this, but in case you don’t, the higher the cocoa content, the more healthful polyphenols and the less sugar a bar contains.
77% Davao, Phillipines Dark Chocolate Bar
This one contains 1% Askinosie Chocolate Cocoa Butter and 23% organic cane sugar. This one has a flavor I can only describe as deep, dark, and earthy. If you find this one too bitter, simply snap off a square of the Askinosie Milk Chocolate bar and nibble a bite of the two together.That’s what I did.
Single Origin Natural Cocoa Powder
Shawn Askinosie has the only small batch chocolate factory in the U.S. making natural cocoa powder from Ecuadorian dark chocolate that’s unsweetened and non-alkalinzed. I tried it in one of my favorite Flourless Almond Butter Brownie recipes that I made for some friends. Really delicious.
Roasted Cocoa Nibs
These are roasted, coarsely cut cocoa beans. You can sprinkle them over just about anything (pudding, yogurt, salad, frozen desserts, chocolate mousse, etc) or mix them into baked goods (cookies, cakes, brownies, bars…). I sprinkled some over some of my homemade Ice Dream, over my Dark Chocolate Dipped Date Nut Truffles, and used some to replace chocolate chips in the brownies I mentioned above. Love the crunch!
The verdict
I liked all of the bars, the cocoa powder, and cocoa nibs. I made the five bars (15 ounces total) last for five or six weeks. For Most of my samplings I snapped of a little square of each of the five bars, eating about an ounce of chocolate at a time, sometimes less. The cocoa powder and nibs will last me even longer.
My rules for eating chocolate include:
Don’t eat it all in one place or all at one time.
Don’t eat it on an empty stomach
Eat it at the end of a protein- (meat) and produce-rich meal (veggies or veggies and fruit).
Eat it sitting down (at a table).
Chew slowly and savor each bite.
Eat only enough to feel satisfied but not stuffed.
You might win if you enter!
You can buy this chocolate from select stores or on ine at AskinosieChocolate.com
To be entered into the drawing for a chance to win two Askinosie Chocolate bars follow the rules outlined below.
Rules for entering
(Do both the following):
To receive bonus entries, spread the word about this giveaway
(select as many of the following as you like):
1. Watch one of my YouTube videos and leave a comment about it below
2. Subscribe to my YouTube page and leave a comment about that below
3. Subscribe to my blog (see link halfway down this page on the left), then leave a comment below
4. Publicize the giveaway, then leave a comment about what you did, for example
a) Tweet about the giveaway with a link to my blog
b) blog about the giveaway
c) announce the giveaway on Facebook and send me a link
d) mention the giveaway to your family and friends
e) come up with your own creative idea
5. Do any or all of the above; just be sure to post a separate comment below for each action you take
Deadline: Minight, February 13th, 2010. (I mistakenly posted it as January in my newsletter!)
Selection criteria: Random drawing
A detour (that turns out to be a right turn) down a new path paved with, not only good intentions but also, chocolate! Following his bliss, Shawn Askinosie is bringing joy to the rest of the chocolate eating world and to the small farmers he works with who receive higher than fair trade market prices for their beans. By giving them a Stake in The Outcome, a business philosophy founded by Jack Stack, plus 10% of net profits from the chocolate made from the beans grown on their farms, Shawn is able to get the best of the best beans. He also nows the name of every farmer who grows the beans that go into his bars.
Location, location, location
Traceabilty
When you buy food directly from a farmer, you know more about the food, how and where it was grown, what went into it, how it was harvested and handled. This provides a greater level of accountability and a higher quality product. When I buy grassfed beef directly from a farmer I get single origin beef (meat from a single cow rather than from a collective meat bank that mixes meat from different cows and herds). The same is true for hand-made, small-batch, single-origin chocolate.
Shawn sought out farmers who were open to his input about how the beans are fermented and dried, which greatly affects the flavor of the end product. Buying anonymous beans from commodity brokers would not have allowed for this nor would it have created the distinctive flavor that each of his varietal bars posses. At the Askinosie Chocolate factory they even press their own cocoa butter.
From field to factory
Shawn chose the site for his factory, the construction methods and materials, as well as the heating, cooling, lighting, cleaning, packaging and shipping supplies with ecology in mind. We weighed the impact of every aspect of his operation on his immediate and global environment.
Perfect packaging
I was so excited when my sample package arrived, shortly before Christmas. I immediately liked the exquisitely but tastefully decorated brown paper packaging and the literature printed on paper that had obviously been made from post consumer waste paper.
Each chocolate wrapper features an image of the bean varietal's lead farmer along with a "choc-o-lot" number (that’s the date it was made)¬¬––so much more interesting than an "expiration date"––along with information about Askinosie’s real people, real places business practices. Btw: you can compost the natural flex biodegradable bags that hold the delicious bars and recycle the outer wrapping.
Speaking of the bars, here’s what I tried:
Davao Dark Milk Chocolate Bar + Fleur de Sel Sea Salt.
I normally avoid milk chocolate because I find it sickeningly sweet. This bar had a subtle but distinct sweetness, a slight tang from the goat milk, caramely notes, and a touch of bitterness. Really nice. It contains 62% cocoa, goat’s milk powder, organic sugar, and a touch of Fluer de Sel sea salt.
70% San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador Dark Chocolate Bar
This one had a distinctive fruity flavor and just the right amount of bitterness for me. Ingredients: 2% Asknosie Chocolate Cocoa Butter and 30% organic can sugar. That’s it!
75% Soconusco, Mexico Dark Chocolate Bar
This one was made from 1% Askinosie Chocolate Cocoa Butter and 25% organic cane sugar. This one had a robust, intensely deep, dark chocolaty flavor. You probably already know this, but in case you don’t, the higher the cocoa content, the more healthful polyphenols and the less sugar a bar contains.
77% Davao, Phillipines Dark Chocolate Bar
This one contains 1% Askinosie Chocolate Cocoa Butter and 23% organic cane sugar. This one has a flavor I can only describe as deep, dark, and earthy. If you find this one too bitter, simply snap off a square of the Askinosie Milk Chocolate bar and nibble a bite of the two together.That’s what I did.
Shawn Askinosie has the only small batch chocolate factory in the U.S. making natural cocoa powder from Ecuadorian dark chocolate that’s unsweetened and non-alkalinzed. I tried it in one of my favorite Flourless Almond Butter Brownie recipes that I made for some friends. Really delicious.
Roasted Cocoa Nibs
These are roasted, coarsely cut cocoa beans. You can sprinkle them over just about anything (pudding, yogurt, salad, frozen desserts, chocolate mousse, etc) or mix them into baked goods (cookies, cakes, brownies, bars…). I sprinkled some over some of my homemade Ice Dream, over my Dark Chocolate Dipped Date Nut Truffles, and used some to replace chocolate chips in the brownies I mentioned above. Love the crunch!
I liked all of the bars, the cocoa powder, and cocoa nibs. I made the five bars (15 ounces total) last for five or six weeks. For Most of my samplings I snapped of a little square of each of the five bars, eating about an ounce of chocolate at a time, sometimes less. The cocoa powder and nibs will last me even longer.
My rules for eating chocolate include:
Don’t eat it all in one place or all at one time.
Don’t eat it on an empty stomach
Eat it at the end of a protein- (meat) and produce-rich meal (veggies or veggies and fruit).
Eat it sitting down (at a table).
Chew slowly and savor each bite.
Eat only enough to feel satisfied but not stuffed.
You might win if you enter!
You can buy this chocolate from select stores or on ine at AskinosieChocolate.com
To be entered into the drawing for a chance to win two Askinosie Chocolate bars follow the rules outlined below.
Rules for entering
(Do both the following):
- Visit the Askinosie Chocolate web site.
- Tell me what you like best about the web site, the company, their bars, or which of their products you would like to try.
- Leave a comment with this info at the bottom of this blog post.
To receive bonus entries, spread the word about this giveaway
(select as many of the following as you like):
1. Watch one of my YouTube videos and leave a comment about it below
2. Subscribe to my YouTube page and leave a comment about that below
3. Subscribe to my blog (see link halfway down this page on the left), then leave a comment below
4. Publicize the giveaway, then leave a comment about what you did, for example
a) Tweet about the giveaway with a link to my blog
b) blog about the giveaway
c) announce the giveaway on Facebook and send me a link
d) mention the giveaway to your family and friends
e) come up with your own creative idea
5. Do any or all of the above; just be sure to post a separate comment below for each action you take
Deadline: Minight, February 13th, 2010. (I mistakenly posted it as January in my newsletter!)
Selection criteria: Random drawing
I love that they share 10% of the profits with the farmers!
Posted by: Kali Lilla | February 03, 2010 at 05:20 PM
I checked out this site the other day and I loved the website!!! It's so cute and hipster. I had the Valentine gift box in my bag, but I couldn't stomach the shipping, so I decided to go back when I had more time and order $40 worth so I can get that free shipping! So, I guess to answer the quesitons - I would like to try dark chocolate and the cocoa powder the most. The nibs sound great too! Thanks for the review, Rachel! Yum!
Posted by: Laura | February 03, 2010 at 05:27 PM
I subscribe to your blog already!
Posted by: Jennifer | February 03, 2010 at 05:57 PM
I'd probably start of conservative and try the sampler pack.
Posted by: Jennifer | February 03, 2010 at 05:57 PM
I like the design of the website. Seems very "green." I would try the San Jose Del Tambo 70%.
Posted by: Andrea | February 04, 2010 at 06:23 AM
I already subscribe to your blog. :)
Posted by: Andrea | February 04, 2010 at 06:24 AM
Love askinosie chocolate. The best I've tasted or come across ethically. I really like their super dark stuff and the cocoa powder.
Posted by: Shannon | February 04, 2010 at 09:13 AM
I'm not sure whether Canadians may enter, but just in case: I'd really like to try the El Rústico Chocolate Bar because I'm intrigued by the idea of eating pieces of vanilla bean.
Posted by: ikkinlala | February 06, 2010 at 03:00 PM
Great giveaway - thanks! I just subscribed to your youtube videos. I'd LOVE to try the cocoa nibs since I haven't yet baked with them...actually, I'd enjoy trying everything...what a wonderful company!
Posted by: Brandae | February 06, 2010 at 05:58 PM
I checked out the site and found it attractive and easy to navigate, and I love the philosophy of being able to track where exactly my chocolate came from and being able to be confident that the people who produce it are fairly rewarded for their labor. I'd love to try the 75% dark chocolate bar or their cocoa. Thanks!
Posted by: Jenny | February 06, 2010 at 06:05 PM
Thanks, Jenny! It is pretty unusual.
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 06, 2010 at 06:51 PM
Hi Brandae,
Cool. I'm glad you found my site. Yes, Askinosie is a wonderful company and all my interactions with the owner, Shawn, have been so positive. I love supporting people who do what they love and provide great products and services.
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 06, 2010 at 06:54 PM
Hi Ikkinlala,
I agree the bar w/vanilla bean intrigues me. I have a vanilla bean in my cupboard and I haven't tried adding it to homemade chocolate. I'll be Shawn has a special way of preparing it so it's not rock hard. I didn't specify that winners have to be in the U.S. I guess I'll need to do that next time because of shipping prices.
Thank you for commenting on my blog. I hope you come back and read and post more.
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 06, 2010 at 06:56 PM
Hi Shannon,
I agree w/you. The story of how Shawn got into chocolate is pretty interesting too!
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 06, 2010 at 07:01 PM
As a dark chocolate lover, I enjoyed reading about Askinosie Chocolate...I would like to try the 77% Davao. Liked your suggestions about 'how to eat chocolate'!
Posted by: michele pidgeon | February 06, 2010 at 08:51 PM
I am going to order the Valentine's box. Peter would love it too. Interesting site, but it's a bit difficult to read. I like the consciousness behind every decision. It's good to see people who care while making a good living. That's one way we can make a difference. Yeah!
Posted by: Tuyet | February 09, 2010 at 08:41 PM
It's cold and I want 75% Soconusco Single Origin Sipping Chocolate! Plus, I would send my friends in DC the C-Ration Month’s Supply of Dark Chocolate until they dig out.
I also just tweeted about this (Enter this giveaway from @ChefRachelM for a chance to WIN CHOCOLATE from @askinosie - great chocolate, great cause http://bit.ly/bTxgYQ).
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for spreading the word! Yes, C-rations sound like a great idea for your snowed in friends. No cooking required!
Good luck,
Chef Rachel
Posted by: @LisaNewkirk | February 09, 2010 at 08:52 PM
Hi Tuyet,
Great idea for Peter! I agre w/you about the Askinosie site. I would prefer larger type or an easier to read font. I tried to use the keys that normally enlarge the font for easier reading but they wouldn't work on his site. I'll let Shawn know. He seems very open to feedback and change.
Good luck!
Rachel
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 10, 2010 at 07:07 AM