Actaully it is cocoa bean hulls and they are used as a mulch or ground cover in order to save water and aid plants in staying moist, not drying out so fast, Cocoa bean hulls have been used for a good 20 years or so. Most places which sell it advise the purchaser not to let their dogs around it for awhile. After a couple of days the smell diminishes..

It goes way back to at least the 1960's, when it was 99 cents a bag and probably much earlier. I've always had dogs and also used the coco bean mulch (back when it was affordable) and never had a problem. And when it breaks down the soil is incredible.

I can still picture the signboard that was always on the side of the street for an old fashioned home improvement store near my mom's house. Sandy

While the smell goes away, the toxins do not. The toxins are the same as in chocolate- caffeine and theobromine. Symptoms of toxicity range from GI upset to cardiac arrest. Animals have been known to die from ingesting this stuff. If you have pets and insist on using cocoa mulch, keep your pets away from it.