Cocoa Cinnamon

Cocoa Cinnamon 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 whic

h 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

Hello CC Guests!Our downtown location is experiencing nearby construction at the intersection of Foster and Geer St. for...
06/16/2026

Hello CC Guests!

Our downtown location is experiencing nearby construction at the intersection of Foster and Geer St. for long periods of the day. Access to our parking lot is restricted as a result. Please be prepared to park on neighboring streets and walk to our OND location. Plenty of street parking remains available further down Geer and Foster. Our shops is open normal hours, and our team would love to serve you! ☀️

CC GEER ST is back open at 1:00pm! Our HVAC contractor came swiftly and helped get us up and running safely. We apprecia...
06/11/2026

CC GEER ST is back open at 1:00pm! Our HVAC contractor came swiftly and helped get us up and running safely. We appreciate Warren Hay and all of your kind words and support more than you know!!

Temps continue to decrease inside our space. Come on over for some yummy drinks and cool temps ❄️

Hi CC guests!We are temporarily closing at 10:30am for shop repairs. Our main HVAC unit is down and our second unit isn’...
06/11/2026

Hi CC guests!

We are temporarily closing at 10:30am for shop repairs. Our main HVAC unit is down and our second unit isn’t cutting it in this heat 🥵 With today’s heat advisory going into effect at 11:00am, we want to make sure team and guests are safe. Stay tuned for updates ☀️

06/03/2026

The support of our past and present sponsors has really helped keep the Beaver Queen Pageant going all these years! Please support the sponsors of 22nd Annual Beaver Queen Pageant -- Beaver Rivalry and don't miss the big event this Saturday (June 6) starting at 4 PM at the Duke Park meadow.

Nothing like seeing your business through the window of another small business to remember all the blood, sweat, and tea...
06/03/2026

Nothing like seeing your business through the window of another small business to remember all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into it. From its foundation, the building & CC have transformed from its beginnings in 2012 through to today with community for community and a dream. It’s a daily action of service and transmutation.

Y'all just voted CC as a winner of Durham Magazine Best of Durham - Coffee shop again! Thanks for supporting us and all ...
06/01/2026

Y'all just voted CC as a winner of Durham Magazine Best of Durham - Coffee shop again! Thanks for supporting us and all of Durham's small and indie businesses!

We are more grateful for your love and support than we can easily say. For us the saying is in the daily work of serving you, aiming to enchant in an open way that affirms a world of thinking, wonder, care and interest in people of many stories and worlds beyond ourselves.

Boosts like this, in such a trying time to be a small business (and for all of us as individuals), gives us such a boost! We are so fortunate to be a small business in our community! You helped us get going and have fueled us for the past 15 years. And we love getting to fuel you too!

We can't wait to share the new Little Waves Coffee Roasters roastery later this year.

Link in first comment

Thank you!

Love CC

On this drizzly spring Sunday, I’ve got the Bread and Butter Cortado on the mind. A collaboration with .asia beverage di...
05/24/2026

On this drizzly spring Sunday, I’ve got the Bread and Butter Cortado on the mind.

A collaboration with .asia beverage director and recipe tasted and perfected by ’s It’s made with house made bread syrup, topped with bread toffee dust and a cold salted panna.

To us, “Bread and Butter” is a testament to kind resourcefulness. Similar to bread and butter, the initiatives we take to nourish ourselves and others every day can be simple, yet thoughtful. A few ingredients can create something profoundly abundant. It’s a familiar warmth that we all remember, can melt into, and carry – no matter who or where we are.” – Asia Vo, Loba Pastry + Coffee, Chicago

📷

05/19/2026

La Frida is a latte with house made mole syrup, .coffee espresso and topped with crushed rose petals...after a Barrera family recipe and named after Frida Kahlo.

Available at CC LKWD! Do you love Frida? Mole? Try our La Frida!

Happy Birthday to our co-founder Areli!!!She now mostly oversees green coffee sourcing and leads our roasting arm .coffe...
05/14/2026

Happy Birthday to our co-founder Areli!!!

She now mostly oversees green coffee sourcing and leads our roasting arm .coffee. And yet she remains the founding spirit, the color, shape and model of that has attracted a team that is widely comprised of and led by women.

In the week to week, she co-leads deep decisions that guide . Her empathy, thoughtfulness, imprinting, culture and care for the world make up an important part of the life of our little world.

Areli, we’re wishing you the happiest birthday!!

Such a beautiful teaching garden by beautiful people!
05/08/2026

Such a beautiful teaching garden by beautiful people!

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Durham, NC

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