Trading jobs: Lawyer turned chocolatier

Shawn Askinosie is considered by most a modern day Willie Wonka as he changes the lives’ of children through his chocolate entrepreneurship.

Askinosie has designed a project, affectionately called Chocolate University, for the sole purpose of teaching local children how they can be involved in daily serving others through their vocations.

The renovated 19th century tobacco factory in Springfield, Mo. welcomes young people from local elementary, middle and high schools to receive hands on experience of artisan chocolate making according to Askinosie’s official website.

“The factory is located in the Historic Commercial Street District and is one block from the Missouri Hotel, Springfield’s largest homeless shelter, where too many children have to spend the night,” Askinosie said, according to his website.

Drury University, a neighbor to the chocolate factory, has partnered with Askinosie Chocolate in the effort to provide a unique and positive program for the local children.—source?

“Askinosie Chocolate is the sole funding source of Chocolate University by donating 100 percent of their tour proceeds to Drury University for the benefit of the neighborhood children,” Askinosie said on his official website.

“The goals of the project are to inspire the children about (1) entrepreneurship and (2) a world beyond their own,” Askinosie said.

When young people graduate from Chocolate University, they are offered the opportunity to travel with Askinosie to one of his bean suppliers, which is located in Tanzania. Askinosie’s strict bean to bar policy separates his company from the commercial chocolate companies like Hershey’s.

“We focus on what we do best which is to make chocolate from scratch and there is only a handful of people, really in the world, that make it from the bean,” Askinosie said in an interview on FOX Business.

Askinosie travels to each of his bean suppliers and has cultivated a trusting and admirable relationship with each of them according to Askinosie’s official website.

He chooses what farmers he would like to buy from only after fervently praying over the decision. Furthermore, Askinosie ensures that the farmers are accepting of his input, specifically concerning the stages of the harvest that affect the taste of the chocolate the most, according to Askinosie’s official site.

The young people who accompany Askinosie can see firsthand that he lives his life with integrity as he unselfishly brings back a portion of the profits to give the farmers.–source In addition, he provides them with his calculations of how he arrived at the amount he gave them and discusses whether they agree that it is fair, according to his interview on FOX Business.

The farmers in Ecuador and Mexico that Askinosie has been buying from have said that they have never had a buyer return with additional money before.

Shawn Askinosie is a wonderful example of what it means to truly live an unselfish life.

Prior to career switch, Askinosie was a prominent criminal defense attorney for two decades. He mostly dealt with heavy cases that involved rapes, murders and robberies.

“I was involved in two first degree murder cases; they were very emotional and very physically taxing,” Askinosie said in an interview with NBC. “It was then that I started to search and pray for another passion to come my way.”

He certainly found that passion. Now instead of being a lawyer, he is selling everything from chocolate gifts to chocolate beverages.

Some may consider Askinosie’s decision to leave his lucrative career as a high profile lawyer to be become a modern day Willie Wonka foolish, but I call it courageous.

After all, God does not call us to follow a paycheck. He calls us to follow Him.