321 Coffee is an American coffee roaster and coffeehouse chain that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2017. As of April 2024, the company operates five retail locations and a roasting facility in the Research Triangle area.^[3][4]

321 Coffee founders Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans were freshmen at N.C. State University when they decided to start a coffee shop to provide employment opportunities for adults with IDD.^[5] 321 Coffee started out as a college club, and it became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization prior to Wrege and Evans converting it to a for-profit company in 2021.^[6][7]

The initial concept for 321 Coffee was a pop-up coffee shop at N.C. State events.^[8] The first permanent location for 321 Coffee was at the North Carolina State Farmers Market in 2018, and that location doubled its size in 2020.^[9][10] The original location at the State Farmers Market remains active.

321 Coffee expanded significantly after Wrege and Evans graduated from N.C. State in May 2021 - opening three new locations over a 12-month period. They opened their second location, an in-office café in the headquarters of Pendo in downtown Raleigh, in February 2022.^[11] In August 2022, 321 Coffee opened its third shop - and first standalone brick and mortar location - in Downtown Raleigh.^[12] In December 2022, they opened their second standalone shop - and fourth overall location - in nearby Durham, North Carolina.^[13] Their rapid expansion and mission were highlighted on national broadcast television by The Today Show.^[14]

321 Coffee also opened an inclusive roasting facility in Raleigh to provide coffee for its shops as well as to local restaurants, company break rooms, and regional grocery stores.^[15][16] The roasting facility has a number of accessible features to allow roasters with IDD who have limited dexterity and strength to operate the equipment - including vacuum extractors to lift the beans, batch weighers to measure out correct bean quantities, and continuous band sealers to seal the bags.^[15] These features are made possible through partnerships with Lenovo and EngageNC.^[17] 321 Coffee's most recent location - another in-office café at the Relias headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina - opened in January 2024.^[18]

In early 2024, 321 Coffee announced the launch of a mobile coffee cart to bring its baristas and beverages to offices and corporate events.^[19]

Other highlights for 321 Coffee include a partnership with N.C. State University to provide a co-branded coffee called Greater Good, an announced retail location on N.C. State's Centennial Campus, and being named "Best Coffee Shop in the Triangle" in the News & Observer's "2022 Triangle Coffee Bracket".^[20][21][22]

Co-founder and CEO Lindsay Wrege grew up in an environment surrounded by children with IDD. Wrege worked on school projects, participated in dance and sports teams, and went on family outings and vacations with members of the IDD community.^[23][24] Wrege observed that the many activities available to youth in the IDD community dwindled as they approached adulthood; as Wrege began to ponder college and the excitement of the future, she worried about her friends - the most capable of whom had jobs cleaning bathrooms or folding laundry.^[25][26]

After Wrege and Michael Evans enrolled at N.C. State as Park Scholars in 2017, they discussed the possibility of starting a special-needs coffee shop on campus with friends over a meal.^[20] The pair had been inspired by Bitty & Beau's, a coffee shop with a similar mission in nearby Wilmington, N.C. founded by Amy Wright.^[2][27] Wrege and Evans founded 321 Coffee, and with folding tables and store-bought coffee, they would bring adults with IDD to serve coffee at events around town.^[26] Those pop-up events led to regular appearances on weekends at the North Carolina State Farmers Market - and eventually to their first permanent location in the Market Shoppes building at that same venue.^[28]

The mission of 321 Coffee is to provide meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.^[29] According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 20% of adults with disabilities participate in the labor force.^[30] At 321 Coffee, a majority of employees have IDD: as of April 2024, the company website lists 34 roasters, baristas, and drivers with IDD along with 16 neurotypical directors and managers.^[31]

In all of its cafés, the 321 Coffee baristas with IDD are the face of the company - working in customer service roles.^[24] The baristas take the orders, pull the espresso, blend the drinks, and serve the final products to customers.^[29] They are also featured in artwork on product packaging and on murals in the shops.^[29]

The name 321 Coffee is a nod towards Down syndrome, which is caused by a 3rd copy of chromosome 21.^[32] Although the company name references Down syndrome, many employees at 321 Coffee have autism, spina bifida, DiGeorge syndrome, or other forms of IDD.^[33]

The names of their standard coffee products - Elevate (Medium Roast), Rise (Light Roast), Uplift (Dark Roast), and Stride (Decaf) - reflect 321 Coffee's core values of helping people be the best versions of themselves.^[34] The company colors and imagery in the shops as well as on product packaging and merchandise are inspired by chromosome mapping which references the uniqueness of every individual.^[5][35]

321 Coffee has five locations throughout the Research Triangle – all of which are active.

321 Coffee is intentional in minimizing its impact on the environment, starting with its roasting facility. As of April 2024, all coffee is roasted with a Loring S15 Falcon that uses 80% less energy compared with traditional roasters.^[4][57] Coffee is sourced from De La Finca Coffee Importers, a company that specializes in direct trade relationships with coffee farmers in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia.^[58]

Deliveries and catering are done using a Ford E-Transit – a completely electric van – purchased after winning an Oatly Big Idea Grant aimed at moving the coffee industry towards a more sustainable and greener future.^[59][60]

All materials used to serve 321 Coffee in its shops – including cups, lids, and straws – are 100% commercial and backyard compostable and certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute.^[61] All packaging materials – bags, boxes, and coffee pods – are similarly compostable. Used grounds and other waste from retail locations are composted and recycled weekly.^[58]

321 Coffee was founded by Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans in their first years at N.C. State University, and many N.C. State programs helped launch the mission-based startup. Wrege and Evans were both Park Scholars at N.C. State, which put them in a community of students who exhibit the pillars of leadership, service and character.^[34][62] The Park community was very supportive from Day 1 - encouraging and supporting Wrege and Evans in their efforts.^[20] As students, Wrege and Evans honed their business plan and message through the VenturePack Challenge (formerly eGames), which is N.C. State's startup company competition that awards cash prizes to student entrepreneurs.^[63][64] During the summer of the pandemic, the 321 Coffee founders took part in the Andrews Launch Accelerator, a 14-week summer program that gives N.C. State founders funding, resources and guidance to jumpstart their entrepreneurial journeys.^[34][65] Finally, after graduating in May 2021, the founders received a stipend through the Miller Fellowship, which provides 6 months of financial support to newly graduated N.C. State students who wish to pursue their ventures full-time after graduation.^[34][66]

N.C. State University has also been a great partner and customer of 321 Coffee since its founding. The very first 321 Coffee event was held at a Special Olympics Unified Football Game at N.C. State in November 2017.^[67] Since the 2018 college football season, the N.C. State football team has brought in 321 Coffee to serve beverages to its coaches and players on Monday film days during the season.^[34] More recently, 321 Coffee and N.C. State launched "Greater Good", a coffee product licensed and co-branded with N.C. State that provides support for scholarships as well as supporting the 321 Coffee mission.^[20] After the men's basketball team won the ACC Tournament title in March 2024, 321 Coffee and N.C. State released "Why Not Us?" - a limited-run coffee can commemorating the achievement.^[68] Finally, 321 Coffee and N.C. State have announced a future coffee shop set to open on N.C. State's Centennial Campus.^[21]

Both 321 Coffee and its founders have been recognized in the Triangle area for their mission of inclusion within the IDD community.