Cocoa Cinnamon

Home
United States
Durham, NC
Cocoa Cinnamon

Website

Coffee, Espresso, Drinking Chocolate, Tea, local Pastries, Desserts. We roast and ship Little Waves Coffee everywhere. Cocoa Cinnamon came in a dream.

Latina Led, open-hearted, and determined to connect commerce to human flourishing. Cocoa Cinnamon is locally owned and operated by Leon and Areli Barrera de Grodski. We employ a diverse team who are dedicated to excellence in our craft and strive for down to Earth service. Cocoa Cinnamon strives to be a vessel for discourse and sustainability. We believe it is more subversive to be a space in which diversity of idea, belief and background are sought and cultivated than to profess a specific politics. Coffee, chocolate and tea are age old lubricants for ideas. The name comes from a couple key spices that have played major roles in the rise and fall of civilizations, ingredients we love and whose histories are easy to forget. The quest for spices initiated a romantic yet harried story, for which the world has been transformed. Languages, religions and cultures have been spread and obliterated. Our menu touches upon this. The drink names and recipes as the names they carry and the spices that are used in their making and come out of a simple curiosity. Where do cloves originally come from? How did cacao play a role in history? Cocoa Cinnamon is our way of experiencing these amazing tastes and the stories that go with them. It is also a way of making small decisions that undo longstanding patterns. And committing to working towards being part of a thriving community, city and world. We believe that through commerce, we can be part of creating sustainable and pleasurable habits. We mean this in a direct way. Wherever possible we source all of the ingredients that go into what we make as locally and sustainably as we can. This is an ongoing process and we aim to get better as we grow. We have a living wage guarantee for all crew members who have completed basic FOH training and aim to be a contributing and positive catalyst in our local community. Non-tipped team members earn a minimum of $13.35 per hour. Certified by the Durham Living Wage Program. Cocoa Cinnamon uses part of its profits to support local organizations and efforts that aline with its mission. Please see our blog for last year’s contribution stats and our donation page to make a request. As a space we aim to be open, creating a kind a public house, where difference is a pleasure and no belief is assumed. People from all walks of life, backgrounds, economic statuses, languages, beliefs and ideas are welcome and hoped for*…we have a community coffee program for anyone who might not be able to afford a coffee, tea or chocolate drink. Simply ask for a “community coffee” at the counter and we’ll ask you what you would like. Thank you for taking part and enjoy. Leon and Areli
Cocoa Cinnamon

11/05/2026

We’re slowly but surely getting into our new dedicated Little Waves Coffee Roasters roastery building.

The (now empty) old roastery at CC LKWD looks a little lonely for now, but don’t worry it’s going to get fixed up for its new purposes over the next month or so!

Want to be in on opening events and tastings at the new Little Waves, be sure that you are on our email list. The new space is a production space and events are by appointment or invite only.

11/04/2026

The Transit of Venus

Iced oat latte made w/ lemon powder, cardamom, mace, & house-made vanilla syrup.⁠

Every 120 or so years, the planet Venus, named after the Roman goddess of love & beauty, traverses the sun. In the 1600s, humans had discovered 6 planets, but didn’t know their true absolute distance in relation to the Earth, to each other, and across our solar system.⁠ The transit of Venus helped us figure it out.

$1 per drink goes to the LGBTQ Center of Durham, creating visibility, encouraging partnerships, fostering community, standing for justice.

Image: ⁠
--⁠
Part 1 of Earthset - Marking 10 Years of CC OWD - Shifting Perspective through Vision and Stories ends on November 9th. Starting November, 10th, we'll have a second set of drinks exploring the theme and supporting another set of local non profits doing work in our community. ⁠
⁠
We encourage you to learn about their work and support all of them directly as well.

11/03/2026

A Gift To Those Who Contemplate The Wonders of Cities and the Marvel of Traveling

Iced macadamia milk Continuum Matcha latte with rose, honey and cardamom

Named after and plays off of Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta’s 29 years of traveling the world from Tangier to China and many places in between.

$1 per drink will goes to Families Moving Forward who offers a temporary home to families with children in the crisis of homelessness.

Image: ⁠
--⁠
Part 1 of Earthset - Marking 10 Years of CC OWD - Shifting Perspective through Vision and Stories ends on November 9th. Starting November, 10th, we'll have a second set of drinks exploring the theme and supporting another set of local non profits doing work in our community. ⁠
⁠
We encourage you to learn about their work and support all of them directly as well.

11/02/2026

Vote on Election Day!! and get a latte bump up when you come in November 3rd with your I Voted sticker for a latte size bump promo - details below.

We are living in pivotal times and what each of us does and how each of us is matters greatly!

Our company aims to support a plural and open society based in thinking, and curiosity.

With that we greatly encourage to use your right, voice, and civic duty to vote!

To play a tiny part in helping with an Election Day push, Tuesday, November 3rd - all day at all three shops - we will be offering a free latte size bump up (from 8 - 12 oz)for any hot latte drink for anyone who comes in with their I Voted Sticker and asks for the bump up. Showing the sticker and confirming that you voted on Election Day required.

Thanks for playing your part!

11/01/2026

Tower of Babel - available until 11/9!⁠
⁠
A local honey latte topped with Date sugar⁠
⁠
The Tower of Babel story is one told in many cultures and histories, and is a classic tale of the downfall of humanity that comes from when we become arrogant, self absorbed, and forget our mortality and fallibility. This drink, using local honey and date sugar, offers a simple pleasure in the wonder that is part of existence when we look back to stories and remain curious about others, languages, places, landscapes, and the world and universe beyond.⁠
⁠
$1 per drink goes to CWS Durham who welcomes refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers from around the globe into lives of freedom, hope, and opportunity. ⁠
⁠
Image: ⁠
--⁠
Part 1 of Earthset - Marking 10 Years of CC OWD - Shifting Perspective through Vision and Stories ends on November 9th. Starting November, 10th, we'll have a second set of drinks exploring the theme and supporting another set of local non profits doing work in our community. ⁠
⁠
We encourage you to learn about their work and support all of them directly as well.

10/30/2026

Toon UP x Fess UP

Cold Brew with Espresso, topped with sweetened condensed milk and raw sugar.

Named after Lord Fess (then Professor Toon) a hip hop artist and friend riffing off the fact that CC OND used to be a gas station.

$1 per drink goes to SEEDS, a two-acre urban garden and kitchen classroom in the heart of Durham.

Image:
--
Part 1 of Earthset - Marking 10 Years of CC OWD - Shifting Perspective through Vision and Stories ends on November 9th. Starting November, 10th, we'll have a second set of drinks exploring the theme and supporting another set of local non profits doing work in our community.

We encourage you to learn about their work and support all of them directly as well.

10/30/2026

This year is CC OWD’s 10th Birthday! In addition to the wonder menus, before the year ends we’re doing some fun things to mark the moment. We are so grateful for all of your support!

Join our newsletter and keep an eye on socials for these upcoming specials and events.

10/28/2026

Happy National Chocolate Day!

Featuring Las Olmecas from our current wonder menu!

Las Olmecas

A dark drinking chocolate with real vanilla and cayenne pepper

In honor of the Olmecs who lived in what is today’s Tabasco, Mexico. It’s said that they were the first people to use cacao as a food and drink.

$1 per drink goes to El Centro Hispano, strengthening the community, building bridges and promoting opportunities for all in the Triangle and Piedmont regions of NC El Centro Hispano NC

📷 Lauren Vied Allen

10/25/2026

Thanks for all of the support and our day in and out guests!

Areli Barrera Grodski and Leon Grodski Barrera started Cocoa Cinnamon in December 2010 on a sleepless night in Areli’s mom’s kitchen. In 2011, with help from friends, they scrounged together enough money to build a coffee bike and used it to connect deeply with their Durham, North Carolina, community. More than 1,000 community members helped them open their first shop in January 2013.

Cocoa Cinnamon’s name, designs and “wonder menus” pay homage to the early intermingling of coffee and spice, built around coffee, chocolate, tea and spice. The business offers coffees at different price points while keeping a constant commitment to paying producers fairly, and helping customers connect what they pay to the livelihoods of coffee growers is an ongoing part of its work. It has grown from a bike to three locations tied to Durham neighborhoods and is finishing a move into a new roastery for Little Waves Coffee Roasters, its roasting side.

For Areli and Leon, being a mom and pop shop means starting with nothing and building something deeply embedded in a place with love, vision, family and community. Their advice: start with a vision, write it down quickly and only do it if a little part of you would die if you didn’t.

Learn more about Learn more about America's Favorite Mom & Pop Shops®: https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/americas-favorite-mom-pop-shops

In partnership with CLA

10/21/2026

Thanks to everyone for the support!!

Congratulations to Cocoa Cinnamon for winning the Main Street Mainstays category of America's Favorite Mom & Pop Shops®!

Voting continues next week! Stay tuned across all social platforms to vote for your favorite business.

In partnership with CLA

Address

Durham, NC

Website

https://littlewaves.coffee/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cocoa Cinnamon posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.