109. The Father-Daughter Business Fixing the Broken Chocolate Industry with Shawn and Lawren Askinosie

If you or someone you know has aspirations to find more meaning and purpose in life, then today’s episode will serve as both inspiration and a bit of a roadmap. Our guests, Shawn Askinosie and his daughter Lawren, have each found their niche. In their working lives, their family business is reinventing one of the world's most important, and yet unsustainable, luxury items. And all the while they are enjoying wonderful personal lives of deep connection, travel, family and adventure.&nbsp; [00:00- 04:46] OPENING [04:47- 11:41] Why we shouldn’t buy cheap chocolate? Shawn’s “why” How our “why” can change yearly, weekly, daily It’s not about the chocolate, it’s about the chocolate Kinship with the cocoa farmers from other parts of the world How Lawren supported her dad during her university days Lawren’s “why” Being a part of something bigger Connecting the consumers with the farmer partners Featuring the stories of farmers and giving value on the $12, $14 chocolate bars [11:42- 20:49] Direct trade and transparency in the business Gratitude economy Shawn’s life before the Askinosie Chocolates How the chocolate business started Living with the idea of serving people Empowered girls and enlightened boys program The healer becomes the healed, the teacher becomes the student [20:50- 29:58] Finding your purpose through serendipity Meaningful Work by Shawn and Lawren Askinosie [29:59- 32:10] BREAK [32:11- 39:40] 70% of world’s supply of cocoa beans comes from the west coast of Africa, Gana, and Ivory Coast Price of cocoa beans has gone down for poor farmers</l