Askinosie Chocolate has introduced a new single-origin chocolate bar — the 72% Zamora, Amazonia Bar — marking the Springfield, Mo.-based chocolate company’s second partnership with a female-led farmer group.
The first new single-origin bar Askinosie has released in seven years, the Zamora bar is believed to be the first American craft chocolate bar to be made with cocoa beans from Zamora, Ecuador, located on the western edge of the Amazon Rainforest.
Founder and CEO Shawn Askinosie says working with female farmers is a cornerstone for his company, which also sources cocoa beans from a female-led farmer group in Mababu, Tanzania.
“I first began exploring Zamora two years ago,” Askinosie says. “After meeting with our lead farmer partner, Monica, and trying her cocoa beans, I was hooked. It’s an honor for us to partner with Monica and bring these storied beans, which many say date back more than 5,000 years, to life in a chocolate bar
Askinosie’s team handcrafts this chocolate bar with two ingredients: cocoa beans and organic cane sugar, along with cocoa butter made from the same beans. Rare Arriba Nacional beans — along with Zamora’s climate — give the chocolate bar a rich, fudgy, mocha flavor. The bar is also certified Kosher D. E., vegan- and gluten-free.
Askinosie Chocolate’s signature collection includes dark chocolate bars made with premium cocoa beans the company sources directly from small farmer groups in San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador; Davao, Philippines; and Tanzania.
