People with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD) are heavily stigmatized in contemporary society, especially within the workforce. However, one group of students and volunteers seeks to change this standard with a new approach: a cup of coffee.
321 Coffee is a volunteer-led coffee shop located at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. The organization was founded by Lindsay Wrege, current CEO of 321 and a third-year studying business administration. The “321” in the business’ title relates to Down syndrome being a third copy of the 21st chromosome, as well as the organization’s slogan.
“We have three goals, two communities, and one outcome,” Wrege said. “Provide meaningful work opportunities for adults with IDD, promote societal unity, and showcase their strengths. The two communities consist of NCSU and IDD community, which has expanded to all of Raleigh, and the outcome is the blending of these communities.”
Wrege has worked with peers who’ve had various forms of IDD since she was young, and these interactions have helped her develop a sense of empathy and understanding towards their conditions.
321 was founded in the fall of 2017 during Wrege’s first semester at NC State. She and several of her peers joined forces with a goal of somehow making the world easier for people with IDD.
“The first [step] was just deciding I wanted to do it,” Wrege said. “It had always been an idea of mine that I thought would have been really cool, but saying it and having other students tell me ‘yes, let’s make it happen!’ is truly where it all started.”
From there, Wrege and several other students started working on making that dream a reality: becoming a student organization, designing a logo and website and starting a GoFundMe. Their efforts earned them plenty of publicity at the local level, even garnering an interview with ABC11.
With their publicity, more people from NC State and around Raleigh joined the 321 team. Among them was Nick Wirtz, a fourth-year studying business administration and the chief operations officer of 321 Coffee.
Wirtz joined the team because he hadn’t done any volunteer work with people who have IDD since high school, and Wrege gave him a perfect opportunity to get back into the field.
“I met [Wrege] in class and she was talking about starting up a coffee shop for individuals with IDD,” Wirtz said. “It wasn’t until that second semester when I heard her speaking so passionately about it and I started thinking back to high school when I served.”
Menu items at 321 have a theme of simple, yet delicious. Coffee is available in hot or cold brews, as well as tea and hot chocolate. Lattes are the most recent additions to the menu, and caramel, pumpkin spice and French vanilla flavors can be added. Baked goods are available as well.
For a long time, the 321 team provided catering for various events around Raleigh. Soon, people who had tried the coffee and wanted more started asking the volunteers about establishing a regular location and schedule.
“Someone recommended the State Farmers Market and we looked into it,” said Wrege. “We started with just Saturdays because we didn’t have a lot of staff or availability. Saturday is the most popular day, so it made sense.”
When it first moved into its current location in 2018, 321 Coffee was set up outdoors. While it did provide some great scenery, this made the staff vulnerable to the weather, and openings had to be canceled many times due to rain or extreme temperatures. However, as of late March 2019, 321 Coffee has secured a spot in the Market Shoppes of the State Farmers’ Market.
The team is heavily involved in the NC State community despite their new location. Liaisons from 321 are often sent to participate in campus events, such as Friendsgiving. Everywhere they end up, smiles from everyone around follow.
“When you give someone that type of joy, you get so much from it,” Wirtz said. “It’s not the primary reason we do this, but just knowing we can impact someone that way is phenomenal.”
As the team grows, Wrege and Wirtz plan to expand their services beyond 321 Coffee and look to establish other locations, providing different food and employment opportunities.
According to Wrege, the most important part about 321 is the opportunities it creates for people to learn from and interact with adults with IDD.
“What sets us apart from other coffee shops is the experience you get from ordering at 321,” Wrege said. “It’s not about making the fanciest drink, or how fast you can get it and leave. It’s about the conversations you have with the volunteers here who have IDD and seeing the sense of pride they have in their work.”
321 Coffee is open Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the State Farmers Market. More information can also be found on their website.
