321 Coffee, an inclusive business launched in 2017, is expanding into downtown Raleigh.
The business employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Cofounders Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans, who graduated from N.C. State University last year, are on a mission to change the fact that 80 percent of adults with disabilities are unemployed, according to a news release.
The two founded the business while they were still students, operating out of college dorm rooms. They currently have two locations—a shop at the State Farmers Market and a private cafe in software company Pendo’s downtown headquarters.
Now, 321 Coffee is opening a third shop in a courtyard outside a high-rise office building at 615 Hillsborough St. The coffee shop and roaster will open Saturday, August 20. It has a full coffee menu with rotating specials and will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
“Having a standalone shop in downtown Raleigh has been our dream since starting 321 Coffee,” said Wrege in a news release. “We started with folding tables and saying ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…’ This week, we get to see that dream come true!”
321 Coffee currently employs more than 40 people with disabilities and has a waitlist of more than 100 people seeking employment. The new shop created nine new positions.
“The storefront stands for inclusion,” said barista Emma Wissink in the release. “It will bring together my friends and my community. It will create a platform for everyone to see us working and being an active part of Raleigh.”
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