321 Coffee, an alumni-owned business that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, just announced its expansion to a new location in Centennial Campus’ Venture Place building at the beginning of 2024.
Lindsay Wrege, co-founder of 321 Coffee, said the business began as a student club at NC State in 2017 with the mission of providing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities job opportunities. The business employs over 60 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who do everything from roasting and packaging coffee to running deliveries and taking orders.
Wrege said this opportunity stems from the business’ growth as a result of support from the community.
“There’s people that believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the importance of disability inclusion in the workforce,” Wrege said. “They recognize that just by coming and getting a cup of coffee, they’re a part of this solution, and that’s really powerful.”
As students, Wrege and co-founder Michael Evans tapped into resources provided by the Park Scholarship program and a long-time mentor in Jennifer Capps, the assistant vice provost for NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Capps said the purpose of her office is to create lasting connections with students beyond graduation.
“It’s actually something that we try to create for our entrepreneurial students and alumni, ways for them to engage back into the campus community in whatever way makes the most sense for them,” Capps said. “While they were students here, they took every opportunity that the University laid out in front of them.”
Wrege said she commends NC State for its commitment to students and its belief in their potential.
“The University — it just shows how much they do believe in their students,” Wrege said. “I think that’s what everyone wants to see from an organization that they’re a part of, but just sometimes the reality is that these organizations are gigantic, and they can’t always show up for people. And so I think it’s really cool that NC State does.”
321 Coffee has received support from all facets of NC State’s community, including from NC State football head coach Dave Doeren and his wife, Sara Doeren.
Wrege said the business caters to the football team every Monday morning during the season at the Murphy Center. One of 321 Coffee’s first employees, Sam, created a special connection with the team. The business released a collaboration coffee with NC State football earlier this year under the name Greater Good.
“All the players and all of the coaching staff, they’re just so welcoming to our team,” Wrege said. “They will joke around. They want to know what Sam was doing over the weekend. … They are friends, and it’s real, and it’s fun. Sam will give it right back to them.”
Capps said 321 Coffee’s greatest impact lies in using coffee as a medium to promote inclusivity, giving locals from all walks of life an opportunity to see what people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are capable of.
“A lot of the people who enter their coffee shops, they might not have had the opportunity to interact with someone with a disability before,” Capps said. “So simply by showing one customer, ‘Let me introduce you to this person. Let me change your mindset with how you think about what this person is capable of,’ you change the mindset of one individual. In many cases the impact compounds on itself, which I just think is spectacular.”
Wrege said this development has caused her to look back on 321 Coffee’s beginnings as a student club that served coffee from fold-out tables from Talley Student Union and where she saw the brand going from there.
“When you see Starbucks and Port City Java and just like real, established reputable businesses, and then you look at yourself, and you’re storing your cups in the dorm room — there’s just so many steps in between those two ends,” Wrege said. “I think we did realize how far away we were from that, but I don’t know if we realized that we’d actually get there.”
Wrege said 321 Coffee’s expansion to campus encapsulates her and Evans’ vision from the brand’s conception.
“It’s a legit pipe dream coming into reality,” Wrege said. “It means a ton to Michael and I just being alumni of the University and like continuing to see NC State champion us. But also having started as students, it started with such scrappy beginnings. … It’s just such a cool, full-circle experience.”
321 Coffee is currently offering a 20% discount for NC State students through Sept. 9 and is hosting a student scavenger hunt this upcoming week. More details can be found on its Instagram ”@drink321coffee”.
