Asia's first: Askinosie Chocolate boutique opens in Singapore

To be perfectly honest, when we saw this piece of news across our screen, we asked, "Eskimo who?" But a little digging showed some real promise, and much excitement among the chocolate lovers. Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch chocolate manufacturer located in Missouri, USA, who source all their cocoa beans directly from farmers in Mexico and Equador, and what they're famous for is really, really good dark chocolate. In addition, the company also shares a percentage of its profits with those farmers.

So in essence, Askinosie Chocolate is a chocolate maker with a heart and a conscience. Which is exactly why local distributor Trendspot first approached Shawn Askinosie, founder and chocolate maker, with the idea of opening an Askinosie Chocolate boutique in Singapore.

"Opening the Askinosie Chocolate boutique was just an 'I have to do it' sort of thing. In Singapore, we are pampered… very few people know the difference between traceable single origin and cocoa mass -- very few people know there are poor cocoa farmers out there who are being exploited. But this chocolate is different -- it’s the way dark chocolate should be. This is what I hope to share with chocolate lovers here: something of value and something meaningful," says Trendspot owner Benny Low in a press release.

The boutique carries all of the Askinosie Chocolate products and even displays some authentic items from the original Askinosie Chocolate store in Springfield, Missouri. The boutique is not a franchise but will be using the Askinosie Chocolate brand -- this new store will be the Singaporean flagship. This is the first Askinosie Chocolate store other than the retail storefront at the factory location in Springfield, Missouri.