38 min
Interview with Shawn Askinosie — Askinosie Chocolate Founder and CEO The Irresistible Factor
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- Marketing
“I knew I wanted to meet farmers as often as I could. I wanted to learn from them, and I wanted to buy cocoa beans directly from them without a broker, without a distributor. I've done that in every bean buy I've ever made in the last 16 years.” Kristi is honored to have Shawn Askinosie as a guest on this week’s episode of The Irresistible Factor. Shawn quit his prosperous job as a criminal defense lawyer to follow his passion of making chocolate from scratch. His passion led him to invest his life savings into starting one of the first craft chocolate companies in the U.S. - Askinosie Chocolate. Shawn tells us about his transformative experience in the Amazon learning about bean-to-bar-chocolate and how it inspired the way he sources his beans (directly from smallholder farmers). He explains that working closely with cocoa farmers is what really sparked his passion. In this episode, Shawn shows us that you don’t need to have it all figured out before you can use your company to do good for others. Askinosie Chocolate has funded millions of school lunches for children in need, started a charity in Tanzania, and put thousands of kids through their Chocolate University Program. Additionally, Shawn explains the importance of understanding where you are with cash flow every week, putting together an advisory board, and why as an entrepreneur, you need to have some level of of humility. Tune in to hear all about Shawn’s inspiring journey and the heart behind his mission.
“I knew I wanted to meet farmers as often as I could. I wanted to learn from them, and I wanted to buy cocoa beans directly from them without a broker, without a distributor. I've done that in every bean buy I've ever made in the last 16 years.” Kristi is honored to have Shawn Askinosie as a guest on this week’s episode of The Irresistible Factor. Shawn quit his prosperous job as a criminal defense lawyer to follow his passion of making chocolate from scratch. His passion led him to invest his life savings into starting one of the first craft chocolate companies in the U.S. - Askinosie Chocolate. Shawn tells us about his transformative experience in the Amazon learning about bean-to-bar-chocolate and how it inspired the way he sources his beans (directly from smallholder farmers). He explains that working closely with cocoa farmers is what really sparked his passion. In this episode, Shawn shows us that you don’t need to have it all figured out before you can use your company to do good for others. Askinosie Chocolate has funded millions of school lunches for children in need, started a charity in Tanzania, and put thousands of kids through their Chocolate University Program. Additionally, Shawn explains the importance of understanding where you are with cash flow every week, putting together an advisory board, and why as an entrepreneur, you need to have some level of of humility. Tune in to hear all about Shawn’s inspiring journey and the heart behind his mission.
38 min