Cocoa Honors
Thirteen juniors from Central High School were selected out of over 60 applicants to participate with Askinosie Chocolate in the selection of their next cocoa bean source country in Africa as part of an 18 month-long cooperative learning project. The students met every week with Shawn Askinosie to learn about chocolate, cocoa beans, share research and discuss the cocoa country choices. Chocolate University raised the money to bring the students (along with some teachers) to a remote village in Tanzania to meet the farmers they helped select. They also funded a deep water well to provide clean water to the 2,000 villagers of Tenende. They specifically sought a woman led cocoa farmer group and Mama Kyeja – now pictured on the front of the chocolate bar package ¬left an indelible impression on them all. The success of the trip can best be summed up by the text message that one student sent to his mother during the trip that said: “this is the best day of my life.” This marks the first time that a chocolate maker has traded directly with a Tanzanian cocoa farmer group. Special thanks to Chocolate University’s many donors, Maji-Tech, Drury University, and Goodwill Ambassador Doug Pitt. The hope is to bring Mama Kyeja and the other leaders of her farmer group to Missouri to visit Askinosie Chocolate and learn more about the chocolate process.
