From the Darkroom: Following Shawn Askinosie to Ecuador on the quest for cacao beans

Shawn Askinosie, owner of a gourmet chocolate factory located on Commercial Street in Springfield, Missouri, sources his cacao beans directly from farmers in Ecuador, the Amazon, the Philippines, and Tanzania. He works with the local farmers in those regions to cultivate the beans and share profits.

Askinosie and Vitaliano Sarabia (right), president of the cacao farmers’ cooperative in the Ecuador, inspect cacao beans during a trip Askinosie took to Ecuador in 2006. Photographer Bob Linder traveled with Askinosie to Ecuador, documenting Askinosie’s company and his work with local farmers in a featured article in Ozarks Signature magazine, published by the News-Leader.

Askinosie launched his small batch chocolate company that same year, and grew it into an award-winning chocolate factory. Forbes named Askinosie Chocolate one of the “Best Small Companies in America” in 2016. Before launching Askinosie Chocolate, Shawn was a criminal defense lawyer in Springfield.

This image is part of a much larger collection of historically rich photographs from the News-Leader’s photo archive. Each week, the Springfield-Greene County Library will tap into this vast collection and present an interesting image “from the darkroom" and share its history. This image is presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Springfield News-Leader. For more historical images of the Ozarks, visit: thelibrary.org/fromthedarkroom .

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: From the Darkroom: Following Shawn Askinosie to Ecuador on the quest for cacao beans