A Lawyer's Love of Chocolate

The well-known Springfield criminal defense attorney is determined to break into a clique of small-batch chocolate makers pursuing confection perfection. Most are in Europe and the western United States, but Springfield?

Indeed.

Askinosie Chocolate Co. is situated on the east end of historic Commercial Street at 514 E. Commercial, just blocks from Askinosie’s new law practice with fellow defense attorney Stacie Bilyeu, who said there are perks to working with a chocolatier.

“I’ve had the chocolate, and it’s amazing,” she said. “When we formed the partnership, I said, ‘I get free chocolate, right?’”

Bilyeu said her partner is an attorney who’s known for “thinking outside the bar.”

Askinosie realized he was destined to become a chocolatier in May 2005, when his passion for baking with the substance reached new heights.

“Some guys play golf. Some guys bow-hunt elk in Montana. I don’t do things like that,” he said.

Chocolate factory

Millsap Renovations is remodeling the 4,000-square-foot building, which will soon be filled with apparatus of all shapes and sizes. The spot has housed a carriage maker and a cobbler through the decades and was going to be demolished before developer Ron Walker bought it and then sold it to Askinosie, who declined to disclose the purchase price.

Reusing the old building is just the tip of Askinosie’s socially conscious business philosophy. Bean shells will be recycled as mulch, and the factory’s water will be heated with solar power, for instance.

In chasing his dark-chocolate dream, the longtime lawyer hasn’t lost sight of what’s important to him.

“My goal is to make really, really good chocolate responsibly from an environmental standpoint and a social standpoint,” he said.

Hands-on research

Deep in the Amazon rainforests of Central and South America, Askinosie met face-to-face with third-world farmers who will soon be his suppliers.

“There isn’t any place in the United States to learn how to make chocolate (like this),” Askinosie said.

While visiting the equatorial countries, Askinosie studied under a French agronomist who stressed the importance of proper harvesting techniques to harness the bean’s flavor and an Italian chocolate-maker.

“I was pretty much the only criminal defense lawyer there,” he joked.

He plans to import raw cacao beans from southern Mexico, the coast of Venezuela and the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador.

Askinosie said he wants cacao producers to have “a stake in the outcome” of his business – a principle popularized by acquaintance Jack Stack, founder and CEO of SRC Holdings Corp. Stack has written a book by the same name as the principle, which spreads a business’ interest across all those involved.

Stack said he’s given Askinosie permission to use his signature “stake in the outcome” stamp for marketing and advertising purposes. SRC has created an application for other companies interested in borrowing the phrase and will perform audits to ensure they’re adhering to certain standards, said Stack, who praised Askinosie’s approach.

“Why not take some farm in South America and tell them how the American consumer appreciates the end product?” he said, explaining the crux of the philosophy. “Maybe you shouldn’t treat this guy as a supplier but a partner.”

To that end, Askinosie said he’ll pay farmers more than the fair trade price for beans and share a percentage of his profits with them. Working with a commodities broker would be easier, but Askinosie opted to negotiate directly with his suppliers.

The process

The chocolate-making odyssey is a complex sequence of events, and on a recent tour of his factory, Askinosie explained how each piece of machinery plays a critical role.

Cacao beans are first roasted and then fed into a winnower, which separates the husk from the precious nibs, or raw chocolate kernels. The nibs then pass through a century-old melangeur imported from Germany that crushes them into a paste, Askinosie said.

In a custom-made contraption known as a “universal,” the paste is mixed with sugar and cocoa butter squeezed from a press with 5,000 pounds of force per square inch.

The chocolate liquor, as it’s called, is then pumped into storage tanks and an Italian-made machine called a conche.

“This is where the magic of chocolate happens,” Askinosie said, evoking the image of a wide-eyed Willy Wonka.

The bittersweet chocolate is then tempered and molded into bite-sized bars. Properly tempered chocolate doesn’t bend; it snaps, added Askinosie.

Chocolate sales

Kyle Malone, Askinosie’s son-in-law, will oversee chocolate production at the plant. And crafting each batch – about 200 kilograms – will take time.

“Part of this is a lesson in patience for me,” Askinosie said of his newfound passion.

Hershey produces about 3.5 billion chocolate bars each year, but Askinosie is adamant about quality over quantity.

“I don’t want to appeal to the chocolate snob,” Askinosie said. “I want to appeal to the chocolate geek. … The best chocolate in the world is whatever you think the best chocolate in the world is.”

Factory tours and chocolate-tasting events are on the docket, and all proceeds from those events will go to charity, said Askinosie, who will rely on an upcoming Web site and various trade conferences to market the chocolate. Nixa-based WDT Marketing is developing the site and his corporate identity.

Walk-in customers will be able to be buy chocolate from a small shop in the factory’s lobby.

A 3-ounce bar will likely sell for $6, or about $2 an ounce.

“This kind of chocolate is an affordable luxury,” Askinosie said.

Askinosie’s Quest for Chocolate

May 2005: Askinosie decides to make his own chocolate in Springfield

Fall 2005: Travels to southern Ecuador to study cacao-harvesting techniques

January 2006: Travels to chocolate

factory in Ecuador to learn craft from Italian chocolate maker

March 2006: Closes on East Commercial Street building for new chocolate factory

May 2006: Travels to southern Mexico, Venezuela and Ecuador to negotiate purchase of cacao beans

August 2006: Renovation of building expected to be complete

Before Christmas 2006: Opening date