What does building a family legacy look like for women today? Ella Livingston of Cocoa Asante shows us how to bring every ounce of who you are into the world to create something uniquely yours while trailblazing for the ones you love.
Ella is a Ghanaian-American who made it her mission to share her homeland’s amazing chocolate with the world. In 2018, she founded Cocoa Asante, a premium chocolate company in Chattanooga, Tennessee that handcrafts unique bonbons and chocolate bars.
In this episode, you'll hear Ella's journey of building personal and family legacy through her small business, Cocoa Asante.
In this episode, you'll also hear:
Ella’s beautiful Ghanian culture, her family story of immigration and her experience growing up as a first-generation American
The signs she recognized and followed that led to launching Cocoa Asante
The sometimes messy and fantastic process of creating a company from scratch
Her mother’s influence and inspiration to retain her culture and create a company that was uniquely hers
Why and how she is using the bean to bar model to fight traditional systems that undervalue farmers to create a more equitable business
The tools she uses for self-care, including therapy, to sustain her energy during the busiest of times teaching part-time, raising a family, and running a business
Legacies she plans to keep, create, or leave behind as part of this journey
The legacy of living a life fills your heart and own instead of what the world tells you to doPs I hope you like this week's quote too!
Ella Livingston was born in Ghana, West Africa into a family of educators, health practitioners, engineers, and cocoa farmers. She immigrated to the United States when she was about three years old with her family. After graduating high school, Ella went on to obtain a bachelor of science in Mathematics and a minor in Japan Studies from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. While at Spelman, she spent her junior year studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan. It was there that she realized the reputation Ghana had as a country that grew some of the best cocoa beans. It was also there that she got the opportunity to try a special type of chocolate called Nama chocolate, which uses fresh cream to create a decadent treat. Her experience in Japan inspired her to want to start her own chocolate company.
She began Cocoa Asante in 2018 and in January of 2021 her business partner, Natasha Guerrero, joined the company as co-owner and head chocolatier. Their goal is to have an upscale bean to bar shop that sources cacao beans directly from Ella’s family’s farm. The shop will allow customers to tour the facility so they can see how chocolate is made and learn more about the inequities that exist in the industry and what Cocoa Asante is doing to make a difference.
Ella’s TEDx Talk: Building Legacy
@Cocoaasante on Instagram
