Local Business Spotlight: Kobros Coffee
Kobros Coffee made its debut in Hampton Roads in March of 2020 inside of a cozy space that was a former art gallery in the Park Place neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia; furthermore, since they’ve opened Kobros has quickly become a local coffee staple in Hampton Roads. Kobros prides itself on creating a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, that makes any and all patrons feel like they’re at home while ordering a cup of coffee (or matcha, or tea if you don’t drink coffee.) They’ve made such a buzz in a short amount of time they were able to expand into a new bigger location on 21st street in Ghent right next to Bangkok Garden, with whom they share a beautiful outdoor patio.
I personally became a patron of Kobros Coffee almost a year after they opened in March 2021 on the recommendation of my friends, Ana & Michaela. What really enticed me to try a coffee from here is their unique craft latte flavors. Every week there is a new flavor that is announced via their Instagram that can be purchased as a hot coffee, iced coffee, or even as matcha. Flavors they’ve offered (and I’ve tried) include grapefruit, agave lavender, pistachio, plum, peach cinnamon, watermelon, and navel orange. Each and every flavor I’ve tried has been absolutely delicious, honestly, I have become hooked. You can catch me there at least 3-4 times a week grabbing an iced latte.
Taken by @AndrewJamesCooperPhoto
When I was making my visits to their original location, I always noticed a kind face behind the order counter who always gave a peace sign as well as what I assumed to be a smile under his mask as he was making drinks with a cheerful demeanor. After talking with my friends I discovered that the man was in fact Sean Kopack, who runs Kobros coffee with his identical twin brother Erik Kopack, hence the name “Ko-Bros”. (Get it!?)
After connecting with Sean on social media, and striking up a few conversations with him, when Kobros moved into its new location. Sean and his brother Erik were nice enough to have a sit down with me, and tell me more about themselves and their awesome coffee shop.
Tell me about yourselves: What are some fun facts about you guys that people may not know that you’d like to share?
Sean: “We’re both from Orlando Florida, and we’re both Military Veterans. I was in the airforce, and Erik is in the Navy. I love to tinker with things, and it’s all I did when I was in the military, actually, there’s a motorcycle inside of Kobros that I built from the ground up. We both like to travel a lot, and we love plants, that’s why we keep them around in the shop.”
Erik: “Our Parents won’t tell us which one of us is older so we wouldn’t fight, so we were raised to be equal siblings. Sean is also a vegetarian and I am not. haha”
Why did you guys decide to become business owners?
Sean: “After being in the military, we decided that we wanted to be in business for ourselves. Also, Our Father used to tell us 'I’d rather you guys be playing on the golf course than working on it.’ We really wanted to get away from micromanaged labor as much as possible and put our energy into being the best bosses that we can be. I actually created the business plan for Kobros in a business class at ODU. As a part of the assignment I had to present my business plans to investors, and they all laughed at me, but look at what Kobros has become now.”
When did you start your business and why a coffee shop?
Sean: “We envisioned the concept for Kobros over a decade ago when we were both 15. When we grew up in Orlando, coffee shops were open 24 hours a day, and served a hangout spot, creative outlet, and safe space for us and so many other teens in the area. There was a coffee shop that I used to frequent in Fairfield California when I was in the Airforce called Journey Coffe Co. that had such a great community atmosphere; they used to give such warm greetings every time I went in. Journey’s really inspired the vision behind Kobros Coffee.”
Erik: “To add to that, I personally got that same community experience when I visited Field Guide, a local restaurant that used to be opened in downtown Norfolk. Field Guide is where I met Dave Haussmann, who gave us the inspiration and motivation to open up Kobros. At the time Sean was working at Toast, which David owns, so it gave us the perfect opportunity to start up our business at our original location, which was adjacent to Toast on March 8th of 2020 right before the pandemic shutdown. Our original location was perfect because it was a window space where people could stand outside and order with masks on and be socially distant.”
What mission did you have in mind when you guys decided to start up Kobros Coffee?
Sean: “Norfolk has a lot of great coffee shops that serve as community hubs, and we believe that coffee is a great way to bring people together. Our mission when we opened up Kobros was to create a space and atmosphere where anybody would be comfortable ordering a cup of coffee no matter what walk of life they came from.”
What made you choose the new location for Kobros Coffee when you decided to expand?
Erik: “We didn’t want to move too far from our original location. When the new spot that’s now our new location was offered to us by Ty Harrell who owns Equinox Coffee we took it as a sign that it was meant to be.”
New Location of Kobros Coffee at 419 W 21st St, Norfolk, VA 23517
What do you believe makes Kobros Coffee special?
Erik: “We use the term ‘Lowkey Local’. We really want Kobros to feel like home to everyone who visits us. Hampton Roads has thriving city life and café scene, and we want to add to what makes Hampton Roads special.”
What are the top three items that everyone has to try here at least once?
Erik: “Number 1 is our Most Popular item, which is the craft latte. We switch flavors every week (on Thursday) and It comes iced or hot. If you follow us on Instagram you can see what the craft latte of the week is.
Number 2 is our pour-over selection which we constantly switch out weekly as well.
Number 3 is our Spritz, I suggest ordering on with a double shot of espresso.”
Sean: “I’m not sure if I agree with that 3rd choice, haha. I agree with the first two but I would say we have pretty good cappuccinos.”
What are some goals for Kobros Coffee that you’d like to achieve and/or see happen with Kobros Coffee in the future?
Sean: “As for current goals, we would like to keep up the new space and make sure the business runs smoothly. We would also like to continue with giving back to the community. Last June we started ‘Decaf Fridays’ where all sales go to an organization. One thing we’re proud of is that we were recently able to raise $650 for the REACH (Reading Enriches All Children) Bookstore, whose goal is to promote literacy to children in underserved communities.”
Erik: “As for the future, we eventually want to get into roasting and maybe do a quarterly roast. We think that would be a fun new venture.”
Is there anybody you would like to give a shoutout to who helped make your vision for Kobros come to life (Crew members, investors, etc.)?
Sean: “I have to give credit to Zack with Happas Designs for sure. Kevin O'Dea, a local real estate agent, who’s a great friend and mentor to Erik and me. Ty and Christine at Equinox Coffee, and of course Dave at Toast. Without those guys, we would be nothing. Also a big shoutout to our team at Kobros: Sibly, James, Kathryn, Ella and Devyn.”
James & Sibly, who are always a pleasure to see whenever I visit Kobros.
Sean, Erik, and I had such a fun and eventful conversation and I was able to learn a lot about them and Kobros Coffee. After hearing how hard-working and humble Sean and Erik are, it’s no wonder why they have a thriving business with lines out of the door. Their drinks are absolutely delicious so I recommend you grab one soon as possible. You can learn more about going to Kobros Coffee from their website, and you can read my personal Yelp review here.
