Askinosie Chocolate - It’s Not About the Chocolate, It’s About the Chocolate

Askinosie Chocolate
“It’s not about the chocolate, it’s about the chocolate.”

Introduction:

Our task was to choose an SME from any country and analyze, describe its E-commerce activities. The analyzation makes us able to come up with ideas about how the company could improve these aspects of its business. We have chosen Askinosie, a chocolate crafting company from Missouri in the U.S. . What makes this small American company unique is the fact that they are not only producing chocolate products but also lays a big emphasize on social responsibility. This SME as I have mentioned is interesting and special in several aspects.

Description of the Company

1. Basic details of the company:

Forbes listed them among America’s best small companies, because it has only 17 employees (incl. production staff). The founder is Shawn Askinosie and in just 11 years, he guided the company to success with an annual revenue estimated between $20 to 50 million. The company’s approach is to keep the balance between producing the highest quality and best-tasting chocolate and making the world to a better place. Askinosie wants to give back something to the community by participating in several kinds of social responsible projects such as involving students to their business through establishing chocolate Universities, undertaking community development projects in local level.  However, the driver factor behind everything of course is the ambition to create great chocolate that people love.  

1. History of the Company:

In 2005, after 20 years as a famous criminal defense attorney in Springfield, (Missouri), Shawn Askinosie decided it was time to give up on his job. He had been making a lot of money, he loved his work, but he knew without a doubt that if he did not quit, the job was going to kill him.  That time he decided, he wants to be a chocolate maker as a random idea, which came into his mind unexpectedly just a big sign!

“As Askinosie says, he was driving home from someone else’s funeral when it dawned on him, “dropped into my head out of the clear blue Missouri sky”, that he needed to become a Chocolate Maker. This “flash” of inspiration, became the beaming sun of their logo.”

At that point, the only thing he knew about chocolate was that he loved eating it. Nevertheless, he used his lawyer skills to bear on learning all he could about chocolate. The founder was excited about the idea of being the one and only who makes chocolate from the bean in the country. He keen on learning everything about the product not only how to make it but also the cultural and historical side such us, where it comes from botanically, how it’s made, and how to harness its ancient and mystical properties to craft something people would love. Within a few months after the idea of turning to a chocolate producer, he went to the Amazon to study cocoa farmers’ post-harvest techniques and how those influence the finished chocolate’s flavor.

1. What makes the company’s chocolate special?

The company’s approach is making the best chocolate in such a way that- the more you learn about it, the better you feel about it.

What really distinguishes Askinosie Chocolate is the way, how it works with farmers in several countries such us:  Ecuador, Tanzania, Honduras and the Philippines who supply the cacao beans used to make its chocolate. Askinosie sees those farmers as business collaborates and gives incentives by integrating them in a profit-sharing program that distributes up to 10% of company profits.  Because the most interesting fact is that the company does not blend chocolate from different suppliers, each batch of chocolate can be tied directly to a single source.

In other words, Askinosie Chocolate is dedicated to Direct Trade, which means they not only know the regions from which the cocoa beans come, but more significantly, they  are dedicated to build long-term and mutually supportive relationships with the farmers who grow some of the world’s best cocoa beans. Clarifying, Askinosie created a system where farmers get a percentage of final sales of their chocolate. Every year he makes several trips to bring his suppliers translated copies of his financial books. Askinosie Chocolate was born committed to fairness, sustainability, minimal environmental impact and community enhancement. Those commitments will be in place as long as the company is. 

1. The Chocolate:

Chocolate making at Askinosie is anything but simple. It’s a 70 point plan to make an Askinosie bar, which starts with finding the right farmers with the right beans all the way through to scraping excess chocolate off the mounds so there is no wastage.

1. Range of Products:

The product line of the company is colorful. They sell almost all kinds of products made from beans such us chocolate bars, powder, nibs, beverages, spread, baking chocolate, bulk chocolate

1. Cocoa Origins in the world, Special techniques :

• Davao–Philippines:

The small cooperative of farmers with whom the company works, produce top-notch beans that, when roasted, elicit the warm, earthy flavors of brown sugar and vanilla with a clean, caramel finish. They craft these beans into our popular 77% Davao, Philippines Dark Chocolate and 62% Dark Milk Chocolate , among other products.

• Mababu–Tanzania:
  When the farmers roasted, the beans evoke subtle, fruity notes of strawberry and blueberry and when tempered, it creates the creamiest mouthfeel of all of our chocolates. These rare and unique beans are used to construct the 72% Tenende, Tanzania Dark Chocolate Bar of the company.

• Cortés- Honduras:

The farmers’ careful attention during the harvesting process helps us draw forth the intriguing flavors of citrus, molasses, sharp stone fruit and woodiness from these distinct beans. These beans are used to craft our critically-acclaimed 70% Cortés, Honduras Dark Chocolate Bar

• San José del tambo-Ecuador:

This small farmer group harvests the rare and highly coveted Arriba Nacional cocoa beans for our international award-winning 70% San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador Dark Chocolate Bar and our 70% San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador Dark Chocolate Nibble™ Bar.