The shop has grown into a beloved community gathering space, blending cultural heritage, sustainability, and local pride.
"It was the humble beginning - Cocoa Cinnamon and Little Waves Coffee Roasters started in my mom's kitchen in 2010," co-founder Areli Barrera Grodski said. "We moved to Durham in 2011 with the idea of opening up a coffee shop. We started on a mobile bike coffee, and then in 2013, we opened our first location with a lot of help from the community."
Today, Cocoa Cinnamon has three cafés across Durham, each with its own character, from the wall art to the menu.
"Usually we have one spring-summer, one fall-winter, and we call it the Wonder Menu," said team lead Melissa Ibarra. "People are always super excited when we change the menu because nobody knows what's going to be next. I think it's one of the things that makes Cocoa Cinnamon very unique."
Alongside the cafés, the team launched Little Waves Coffee Roasters, which is now sold globally.
"The pandemic really helped the roastery grow because we were able to ship everywhere," Barrera Grodski said.
The company recently purchased a 5,200-square-foot building and installed a 160-pound roaster.
"Our roaster is going to be able to roast a whole bag of green coffee, which is about 150 pounds. Right now, we have a roaster that roasts about 33 at a time," Barrera Grodski said. "So that's a lot more batches for our team."
She credits Durham for the company's success.
"I don't think that Cocoa Cinnamon would have been as successful in any other city or town," Barrera Grodski said. "Durham plays a huge role in our success because it's a very community-oriented town. It's a small city, but everyone who lives here really deeply cares about everyone flourishing and spending money locally and supporting small businesses."
ALSO SEE N.C. Made: Ukrainian refugee builds snack business after resettling in Raleigh
Born in Mexico and raised in North Carolina, Barrera Grodski said she takes pride in the business's broader impact.
"When people support us, they're supporting a whole supply stream," she said. "Continuing to link the makeup of our team is also a really amazing thing. We're predominantly immigrant-background women in the roastery, which is kind of unheard of in our industry and also at the café level."
Cocoa Cinnamon remains an NC Made staple in the Bull City - brewing together heritage, community, and coffee.