Shawn Askinosie

Shawn Askinosie

Shawn Askinosie was recently named by O, The Oprah Magazine as "One of 14 Guys Who Are Saving the World." They said "Why we're fans: The philanthropically-minded chocolate entrepreneur aims to get students thinking about business ethics in a way that could have ripple effects for generations."

Founder and Chocolate Maker of Askinosie Chocolate, Shawn had a successful career in criminal law for nearly 20 years before founding Askinosie Chocolate. Over the years he had a number of high profile cases that garnered national media attention; Shawn never lost a criminal jury trial. Since founding Askinosie Chocolate, Shawn’s social business model has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and numerous other publications. Shawn is a sought after public speaker and has been a frequent guest on the Fox Business Network discussing chocolate and small business issues. The Springfield Business Journal named him the 2008 Entrepreneur of The Year. Shawn sells his chocolate throughout the US, and exports to stores around the world and has been nominated Missouri Exporter of the Year. Shawn is also the co-founder of Lost & Found Grief Center for children and is on the Lay Advisory Committee of Assumption Abbey (a Cistercian monastery in Ava, Missouri). Shawn is the Mel Carnahan Fellow at Missouri State University’s Public Affairs Academy and is an Adjunct Professor of Field Studies in Social Entrepreneurship at Drury University. He was the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Commencement Speaker at Missouri State University graduation ceremonies. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Affairs degree in May 2012 to “recognize his contributions as a community leader, an entrepreneur, a role model and an inspiration to students and others.”

Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch award winning chocolate manufacturer located in Springfield, Missouri, sourcing 100% of their beans directly from the farmers. Shawn travels to regions of Ecuador, Honduras, the Philippines and Tanzania to work directly with the farmers and source cocoa beans for his chocolate. This allows the chocolate to be traced to the source and labeled Authentic Single Origin Chocolate. It also enables Askinosie Chocolate to profit share with the farmers, giving them a Stake In the Outcome™. The Askinosie Chocolate mission is to serve their farmers, their neighborhood, their customers and each other; sharing the Askinosie Chocolate Experience by leaving the world a better
place than they found it.