Coco’s Cravings 808 officially started in March 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to business owner Colleen “Coco” Bui. She never intended her passion project to turn into a hobby or business; it “started as a way to connect with people.”
“Like many people during that time, I found myself feeling isolated, physically, mentally and emotionally,” she says. “I was looking for connection and purpose in a season where so much of the world felt disconnected.”
One day, Bui’s childhood friend, Rina, invited her over to her home. Bui recalls how she made homemade cinnamon rolls.
“I’ve known Rina since second grade; I still remember how comforting those cinnamon rolls were,” she says. “They weren’t just delicious; they felt like warmth, kindness and connection during a time when those things were hard to come by.”
That experience inspired Bui to start baking at home and working with yeast for the first time.
“Soon after, I went down a rabbit hole, watching YouTube videos from Japanese home bakers who specialized in soft milk breads,” she says. “I became fascinated with the process and began teaching myself how to make all kinds of sweet and savory milk breads.
“One Japanese baker, in particular, became a huge inspiration,” she adds. “I reached out to her directly and asked if she would mind if I used her recipes as a foundation, and developed my own variations. She graciously encouraged me to do so, and that gave me the confidence to experiment.”
Bui started creating both sweet and savory pastries, based on the flavors she enjoyed and craved.
“Eventually, I began adapting cinnamon roll recipes into a Japanese-style milk bread dough and spent countless hours refining and tweaking the formula until it became what people now know as Cocobonz,” she says.
Bui started giving away breads and delivering them to friends and family, simply because “it gave me a reason to see people and bring a little joy into someone’s day.”
“The moment I realized this could become a business was when the people around me wouldn’t stop telling me to sell them,” she recalls. “Friends, family and complete strangers kept encouraging me to turn it (the breads) into something bigger. Looking back, I’m grateful they believed in me before I fully believed in myself.”
Coming up with a business name was easy for Bui, who worked in the food and beverage industry since 2005.
“‘Coco’ was a nickname I was given during my years working in the industry,” she says. “The word ‘Cravings’ came naturally because I never wanted to limit myself to one specific product. If I had named the business something like ‘Coco’s Bread’ or ‘Coco’s Cinnamon Rolls,’ it would have put me in a box.
“I’ve always loved creating and sharing the foods I personally crave, whether that’s sweet milk breads, savory breads, cinnamon rolls or shortbread Crumbarz,” she adds. “The name ‘Coco’s Cravings’ gave me the freedom to explore and create whatever inspires me.”
The business’s Cocobonz ($5 each) — milk bread cinnamon rolls — are still the bestselling dessert, and it was the first pastry Bui ever made and shared. Every roll is hand-kneaded, and made with a rich milk dough, cinnamon-infused brown sugar butter filling, and finished with a signature butter whip frosting, according to Bui.
“For a typical pop-up, I often produce around 90 or more cinnamon rolls, in addition to other flavors,” she says. “Even then, many events sell out, which I am grateful for. Every item is still made the same way it was when I started — every dough is hand-kneaded; every bread is handcrafted. We use real ingredients without preservatives or additives.”
The business’s newest milk bread creation is the ube Chantilly bonz ($7), which is a sweet milk bread rolled with ube cheesecake. It was designed to celebrate one of Hawaiʻi’s most beloved flavors, while staying true to the business’s milk bread base, according to Bui.
“This is a triple collaboration featuring Sheila’s Den’s handcrafted ube halaya and Hau’oli Pastry’s handcrafted Chantilly cream,” Bui says. “We combined those elements with our signature milk bread to create a dessert that celebrates the talents of multiple local businesses.”
Other milk bread flavors include strawberry guava — complete with a fresh pink guava and strawberry compote cheesecake and strawberry guava butter whip — and ‘love you latte’ bonz, which is espresso-infused.
“I constantly experiment with new flavors,” Bui says. “At any given time, I probably have more than 30 future flavor concepts sitting in my notebook, waiting to be developed and perfected.”
The milk bread rolls can be purchased as individual pieces ($5) or as packs of six ($27).
Crumbarz are Bui’s buttery shortbread cookie bars, available in a variety of flavors; at pop-ups, Bui makes approximately 48 Crumbarz per flavor. Lemon ($5) is layered with fresh tart and zesty lemon curd topped with brown sugar dusted shortbread crumbs.
“This has been one of our bestsellers since the launch,” Bui says. “Customers often debate whether the gooey center or caramelized edges are the best part. They’re best preserved and eaten frozen or cold.”
Other Crumbarz flavors include lime, pumpkin V2, and peanut butter cookies and cream. The latter — which includes peanut butter Oreo shortbread layered with Reese’s chips, crunchy peanut butter and Oreo cream — is the newest flavor, according to Bui.
“It combines the nostalgia of cookies and cream with rich peanut butter flavors,” she says.
Meanwhile, the pumpkin V2 Crumbar is back by popular demand. It features a pumpkin spice chocolate chip shortbread crust, spiced pumpkin custard, cinnamon brown sugar and pumpkin spice shortbread crumbs.
“It was originally intended to be seasonal, but so many customers requested its return that we decided to bring it back, despite being out of season,” Bui says. “It’s always humbling when customers remember and request flavors months later.”
Savory options include ham and cheese milk bread ($5), pizza pocketz and pizza rollz ($6-$7 each), and deluxe pizza rollz ($8). The latter features sweet milk bread rolled with housemade pizza sauce, mozzarella, Italian sausage, fresh spinach and thinly sliced sweet onions.
“The ham and cheese savory milk bread is a simple but incredibly popular grab-and-go food option,” Bui says. “Pizza pocketz are a savory milk bread filled with mozzarella, pepperoni and housemade pizza sauce. These have developed a strong following and are especially popular for re-heating at home in an air fryer.”
Coco’s Cravings regularly pops up at Central Pacific Plaza’s Tidepools events in Downtown Honolulu. The business will also be at the Ono Grindz & Makeke market from 4 to 8 p.m. on June 11 at Wai Kai in ʻEwa Beach.
“I’m excited because it’s an opportunity to continue building relationships with customers on the West side of Oʻahu, while staying connected to the community I’ve built in town,” Bui says.
She also will be at Ala Moana Center’s Nordstrom pop-up on June 20, during Father’s Day weekend.
“Those events have been some of my busiest; I often sell out within an hour,” Bui says. “I usually launch a new specialty flavor there, and this Father’s Day, I’m planning something fun that I think dads will appreciate, along with a gift-with-purchase promotion.
“One of the most surreal experiences isn’t necessarily during the events themselves; it’s the week leading up to them,” she adds. “Every time I release a menu and open pre-orders, my Instagram inbox starts filling up almost immediately. Those moments remind me how fortunate I am. I never expected this level of support, and I’m incredibly grateful for every single customer who chooses to support what I do.”
Although Bui is the face behind Coco’s Cravings 808, she credits her mom and friends for helping her behind the scenes.
“They help me prep, bake, package, transport and sell at events,” she says. “Their support has allowed this little business to grow while still maintaining the quality and care that are important to me.
“People often tell me my prices should be higher (when) compared to similar businesses,” she adds. “While this business is certainly my livelihood, it has never been only about money. The greatest gift this business has given me is connection. I’ve shared conversations, laughter, struggles and life stories with people I may never have met otherwise.”
At the end of the month, Coco’s Cravings 808 will be at Walmart Mililani. Bui says she had her first event there last month and sold out of milk breads quickly, even though it was raining.
“The pre-order list for that pop-up was one of the biggest ones yet,” she says. “I’m so grateful to connect with that part of the island again.”
Although her business participates in more events across the island, maintaining a personal connection with customers and preserving relationships have been essential for Bui.
“Bread has always been the product, but connection has always been the purpose,” she says. “Every recipe I create carries a piece of my heart because food has always been my way of showing people that they matter.
“Some of my customers have been with me since my earliest days of delivering bread from my home kitchen,” she adds. “If there’s one thing I hope people take away from Coco’s Cravings, it’s that food has an incredible ability to bring people together. Sometimes, a simple cinnamon roll can become the start of a friendship, a conversation, or a memory that lasts far longer than the food itself.”
CONTACT
Coco’s Cravings 808
Various locations
mycustombakes.com/cocoscravings808
Instagram: @cocoscravings808
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
