Cocoa Cinnamon

When is a cup of coffee more than a cup of coffee? When every cup is brewed with the community in mind. And as producer Jessica Edgar reports, that's the philosophy at a popular coffee shop in Durham called Coco Cinnamon. In downtown Durham, by the Old Durham Bulls Athletic Park, a coffee shop with character serves delicious drinks and pastries, all with the intent of spreading good feeling and goodwill. Coco Cinnamon. Yeah, it's a somewhat uncommon name for a coffee shop. And it's not. It's a whole lot more than a simple coffee shop. Leon and Arelli, the married co-owners of Coco Cinnamon, pride themselves on owning a shop that brings more to their community than just a cup of coffee. At the beginning of their marriage. . . We just started It's funny because we didn't have very much money at all. In fact, were Let me just spit it that way. Were really, really broke. And for some reason, we just started dreaming. They dreamt of owning a business that they could work through to bring happiness to the people around them and to their community as a whole. Selling everything from chai tea to local pastries to experimental coffee drinks, Leon and Arelli have worked to create an expansive and delicious menu that will appeal to any and every taste. There's even a waffle food truck outside on Saturday mornings. And their top-selling drink has a familiar ring to it. Right now I'm drinking the Dr. Durham. It's got You drink it hot or cold, it's just kind of my jam. The drink is named after the man who became the namesake for the city of Durham. The thing is you really want to say the full name. Dr. Bartlett Leonidas Snipes Durham. The Dr. Durham, Ancient spices, foreign countries and historical figures all make an appearance on this diverse menu. I Usually when you get a latte you don't really taste the coffee, but here the coffee is the forward flavor. It's not I tend to Whether you Cocoa Cinnamon participates in a living wage program in an effort to ensure that their employees feel respected and appreciated with a paycheck that can actually sustain healthy living. The shop also has what's known as a community coffee program. Community coffee is a community gift card. In the sense that's how it operates. In other words, we have gift cards, and this one just happens to stay at the register. It's a way in which somebody can order a drink, and it's paid for by the public. People matter to us, and not just the people who are giving us money. We do want to indicate and invite as many people from everywhere in our community to be part of Cocoa Cinnamon, and we didn't want money to be a barrier. The drinks are tasty, the staff is happy, and the atmosphere is welcoming and open to everyone. It seemed pretty laid back, pretty diverse place in terms of the people that come through here, and a really cool workspace. It's nice to see their vitalization, and how they've changed everything. Really, our job is simply to make people feel happy. If you come in and we made you feel good, we've satisfied our most basic role. Cocoa Cinnamon is located at 420 West Gear Street in downtown Durham. They're open at 7. 30 a. m. Monday through Friday and at 8 a. m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and they're opening a second shop this winter at 2625 Hillsborough Road on the corner of Trent Drive in Durham. For more information, visit their website at CocoaCinnamon. com.