Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks

A Taste of Guyana’s Rainforest Heritage

Long before powdered hot chocolate became common on supermarket shelves, Guyanese families made rich, comforting cups of cocoa using hand-rolled cocoa sticks. Today, that tradition continues through Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks, one of Guyana’s most authentic locally produced chocolate products.

Produced in Hosororo, a village in the Barima-Waini (Region One) near Mabaruma, these cocoa sticks are made from cocoa grown in one of Guyana’s oldest cocoa-producing communities. The fertile soils of the region have supported cocoa cultivation for generations, and the product remains closely connected to the area’s agricultural heritage.

What makes Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks especially remarkable is the people behind them.

The product is manufactured by the Blue Flame Women’s Group, a community organization formed in 2005 by the wives of members of the Hosororo Organic Cocoa Growers Association. When exports of organic cocoa beans slowed, the women transformed a challenge into an opportunity by processing the locally grown beans into value-added cocoa sticks and chocolate products.

Every cocoa stick begins with carefully selected cocoa beans harvested from nearby farms. The beans are roasted over firewood, shelled, ground into a rich cocoa paste, and then hand-rolled into the familiar cylindrical sticks that many Guyanese grew up using. The process remains largely traditional, preserving both the natural flavour of the cocoa and the craftsmanship passed down through generations.

Unlike instant cocoa mixes, Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks contain pure cocoa with no artificial flavourings. The sticks can be grated or simmered in water before adding milk and sugar to create a rich cup of hot cocoa. They are equally suitable for baking chocolate cakes, brownies, pastries, desserts, and traditional Guyanese chocolate beverages.

Over the years, the product has earned recognition beyond Guyana’s borders. Earlier exports reached markets in Germany and Canada, while the cocoa sticks have also been included in gift packages showcasing Guyanese products to international visitors. Today, they continue to be promoted as one of Guyana’s authentic indigenous food products and remain available through local retailers and the Guyana Marketing Corporation’s Made in Guyana programme.

More than a beverage ingredient, Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks represent rural entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and the growing value of locally processed agricultural products. Every box supports a community that has turned Guyana’s natural resources into a product that proudly carries the country’s flavour and heritage.

For anyone seeking an authentic taste of Guyana, few products capture the country’s rich cocoa tradition quite like Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks.

Product Snapshot

• Product: Hosororo Natural Cocoa Sticks
• Made by: Blue Flame Women’s Group
• Origin: Hosororo, Barima-Waini (Region One), Guyana
• Main Ingredient: 100% natural cocoa
• Best Used For: Hot cocoa, baking, desserts, traditional Guyanese chocolate drinks
• Category: Made in Guyana | Food & Beverage | Cocoa Products