Ever heard of Askinosie Chocolates? I was looking for a source of Tableya in the U.S. when I stumbled upon the company website. Tableya refers to a "chocolate tablets" used for a chocolate drink native to the Philippines. It is made from raw cocoa beans that are roasted, manually ground and shaped into round discs. Normally sugar is NOT added so the chocolate drink has a bitter, rich chocolate taste that is a bit grainy. Sometimes peanuts are finely ground and mixed before the chocolate discs are formed. I first tasted Tableya as a child. I was so fascinated when I saw how the actual chocolate drink was prepared First, water is boiled then 2-3 chocolate discs/ Tableya are mixed in and gently stirred. Sugar and milk may be added. But I liked best the next step which was to use a wooden whisk/ batirol by rubbing the tool between the palms in a circular motion to make the drink frothy until a thick, foamy consistency is reached. The drink is topped with a bit of butter that gently melts into rich chocolate drink.
Askinosie Chocolates is a small batch chocolate company in Springfield, MO. They source 100% of their cacao beans directly from farmers. The founder and chocolate maker, Shawn Askinosie personally travels to Equador, Honduras, Philippines and Tanzania to work directly with farmers and source his chocolate. So, the chocolates can be traced from source and labeled Authentic Single Origin Chocolate. It also allows them to profit share with the farmers and build genuine relationships with their suppliers.
The Tableya they sell are made by local PTA at Malagos Elementry School in Davao, Philippines to fund a feeding program for extremely malnourished kids in the school. They sell the Tableya to Askinosie Chocolates for $1 and Askinosie Chocolates sells it for $10 and ALL $9 profit go to Malagos for their feeding program!!! In 2012, 185,000 nutritious hot meals have been provided. Each student is assured of a meal for a school year and a half!
A similar feeding program is being planned for malnourished children in Tenende, Tanzania where they have also built deep-water well to provide potable water to 2000 citizens of Tenende, Tanzania.
Askinosie Chocolates is a company with a clear mission -- to serve their farmers, neighbors, their customers and each other, sharing the Askinosie Experience and leaving the world a better place than they found it. This is from a company that has won many awards for the superb quality of their chocolates!!
