HSU students make and sell their own chamoy blend for candies

Gummy apple and peach rings and sour belts are dipped in the chamoy paste for an extra kick. Photo courtesy of Pika Lokoz

Being far away from home, being able to find your favorite mexican treats is difficult because there is not a variety of Mexican markets in our area. 

Two brothers and Humboldt State University seniors, Sergio Sanchez and Oscar Sanchez, forestry majors originally from Oxnard, started Pika Lokoz in October 2020. 

They sell a variety of candy with chamoy sauce (a sweet and spicy paste). It can be mixed with fruit, drinks, candy and even popsicles or helados. 

While visiting their family back home, they tried chamoy after not having it for months and decided to share it with everyone else in Humboldt County. They aim to bring part of their culture to Arcata. 

“We realized that a lot of students from back home in Humboldt were still not familiar with some of the tasty treats we grew up eating,” the Sanchez brothers said via Instagram. “A large part of the people who have tried our product mention how this flavor reminds them of Los Angeles, and candy that they grew up eating when they would visit Mexico.” 

The most interesting part is the process of how their product is created. The chamoy blend is their most popular product because it can be mixed with anything.

They start off with melting the tamarind pulp, add the chamoy to the melted blend of pulp and then they add chili powder and flakes to give it a spicy and sweet flavor. After they finish the blending process they top it off with some Tajin. Once the paste is ready they drizzle it over their favorite candy. Some favorites are peach rings, sour belts, gushers, a variety of Mexican candy and many more. 

For now, Pika Lokoz is only taking orders from their Instagram: @Pika.lokoz. 

They are grateful for each and every one of their customers. Pika Lokoz appreciates all the support Arcata has given them.

“We are working on getting our products out to local markets for everyone to experience,” the Sanchez brothers said.