For mornings when you’re low on sleep or late for class and don’t have the time to grab a cup of coffee, COBA Coffee presents a unique solution. Founded in Berkeley by a UC Berkeley alumnus, COBA offers coffee and tea chocolate bars as well as coffee concentrate for a quick, convenient energy boost. COBA won the 2023 Best Chocolate Bar and 2024 Best New Product awards, making a name for itself in the chocolate world.
Each bar boasts a caffeine content equal to one cup of COBA coffee or tea—a claim which I unwittingly confirmed after sampling all four bar flavors and the coffee concentrate in one sitting. I had the pleasure of speaking with Peter Lee, the founder and CEO of COBA, to learn about how he grew his business from his Berkeley apartment into a six-figure company.
The Past: COBA’s Conception
Peter found an interest in making coffee after dropping out of high school and building his own homemade coffee roaster in his backyard. Soon, he was catering to his local school district and supplying coffee at administrative meetings. However, with the domination of commercial coffee roasters in a concentrated industry, he turned to sourcing coffee beans for these roasters instead.
Peter’s exploration of coffee bean sources brought him to Peru, Ecuador, and Tanzania—destinations that gave him a glimpse into the centuries-old family farms that fuel the coffee industry. There, he gained an appreciation for the tedious labor that goes into coffee production, from the uneven ripening of the Arabica beans to the daily climb up mountains for year-round harvests. And yet, in coffee shops, spent coffee grounds are discarded as waste, even though they “retain more than a third of their flavor and aroma compounds after brewing.” Reflecting on his experience, Peter recalled, “When I brought back coffee from there, I realized that there’s a better way to honor these beans. There’s so much work that goes into coffee.”
Peter started experimenting with the idea of turning coffee into chocolate as a senior at UC Berkeley, unaware that he would later become a five-star master chocolatier. Similar to the chocolate-making process of grinding cocoa beans until they develop more depth of flavor, Peter decided to apply the same principles to coffee beans. “The first batch that we tempered and made was terrible,” he admitted. “It tasted so bad. And it was like the worst thing ever.” Luckily, the UC Berkeley community was filled with eager students who jumped at the opportunity to sample and review free coffee chocolates in the makeshift cafe that he ran out of his apartment. He kept working, focusing on improving the flavor and eliminating the gritty, stale taste from the beans’ leftover cellulose. Finally, after two years and about 200 iterations, Peter was satisfied with his espresso chocolate bar.
As someone who loves traveling and hiking, Peter’s initial intent behind the bars was to provide an on-the-go boost for outdoor adventures. He noted, “the portability of the chocolate bar with the functionality of replacing a cup of coffee or tea renders itself perfect for the outdoors.” So far, hikers have taken the bars to Red Rock Canyon in Nevada and the summit of Island Peak in the Himalayas. The COBA chocolate bars can also be found in REI stores across the Bay Area.
The Present: COBA’s Products
After perfecting the espresso chocolate bar, Peter wanted to expand into the full cafe space, incorporating flavors from teas as well. Currently, COBA offers four chocolate bar flavors: espresso, chai, matcha, and hojicha (roasted matcha). Each bar contains only two components: white chocolate and the caffeinated coffee or tea. The white chocolate creates a neutral canvas that allows the flavors to shine, and the cocoa butter within preserves the natural essence. The bars are also low-calorie and low-sugar.
COBA’s flagship product, the espresso bar, is made from fair-trade organic Arabica coffee. The flavor itself is strong and mildly bitter, capturing the core characteristics of the coffee beans in the chocolate. The chai bar features real masala chai sourced directly from India. It’s the sweetest of the bars with a pleasant spiciness and a subtle sugary granular texture. However, I felt that the white chocolate overpowered the spices rather than fully integrating them like in a typical chai latte from a cafe.
The matcha flavor comes from high-quality ceremonial grade matcha from Japan, evident in its deep green color and grassy undertones. The hojicha bar begins with a roasted aroma and has a nutty, matcha finish. Both bars have an earthy, comforting taste, balancing out the sweet white chocolate.
In the summertime, when chocolate melts quickly, COBA has an alternative: a coffee concentrate containing 20 servings per bottle. Just add some of the concentrated cold brew to a cold glass of water or milk, and you have an instant iced coffee. With his expertise in coffee acidity and oxidation, Peter was able to craft a concentrate of his signature formula.
The Future: COBA’s Vision
COBA introduces the familiar flavors of espresso, chai, matcha, and hojicha to grocery stores to attract younger shoppers to the more traditional chocolate aisles. “Gen Z and millennials are buying more coffee than anyone else, specialty coffee specifically,” Peter remarked. “It’s growing at 12% every year.” Also, as an Asian-owned business with strong AAPI influences in its products, COBA is contributing to more diverse representation in the chocolate world.
Peter’s ambition for COBA is to expand even further—into gas stations and convenience stores—as a healthier, more sustainable alternative to instant caffeine options like energy drinks and shots. Instead of refueling on a highly processed drink with artificial additives, road-trippers and casual shoppers alike would have the option to choose a two-component chocolate bar with the same caffeine content but with a lower environmental impact.
Now sold in 100 stores, COBA is proving its worth as a competitive force in the coffee world. All of COBA’s products are also available on its Amazon storefront, where Peter welcomes honest reviews and feedback. “Authenticity is a core tenet of our company,” he explains, highlighting the importance of transparency from coffee sourcing and chocolate production to marketing and brand development. With its convenient, energizing coffee chocolates, COBA will undoubtedly continue to grow and find its place in morning rushes, adventurous hikes, and everyday life.