Congratulations to Shawn Askinosie and his team at Askinosie Chocolate on being named one of “America’s Best Small Companies” by “Forbes” magazine. The story is online and will be in the Feb. 8 issue of the magazine.

Askinosie Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer employing 17 people in Springfield. The company is operated on a unique model of profit sharing with the farmers from which the companies gets the cocoa beans used in the process.

The store on Commercial Street is a popular spot for tourists and locals. Along with selling chocolate, the store offers tours at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday and customers are invited to sample the goods.

Award-winning Askinosie Chocolate has been featured by a wide range of media, including “USA Today,” “Bon Appetit,” “Oprah.com” and many others.