Inspired Grounds

When Lindsay Wrege was in elementary school in North Carolina, the friends she made just happened to be girls living with disabilities. “They were the first people to invite me to play with them at recess,” she says. “It was normal. We lived in city neighborhoods and grew up together. We would walk to and from school together, work on projects, play tennis, and hang out. They were just my awesome friends, but that experience of seeing inclusion in action really impacted me.”

Making sure their fun worked for everyone, no matter what physical or developmental challenges they faced, proved to be a potent lesson for Wrege. “It definitely shaped how I looked at things like accessibility and modification.” She also realized that there was a world of opportunity available to her that her friends didn’t have. “I learned that 80 percent of adults with disabilities are unemployed,” she says. “One of my friends did have a job throughout high school, but she worked over five years at the same place, and all they let her do the whole time was clean bathrooms. It was really unsettling to see that.”

Soon, Wrege found a way to make a difference—through coffee. “I met my business partner Michael Evans when we were students at North Carolina State,” she says. “We found that we have shared values for inclusion and building a company built on doing social good.” In 2017, Wrege and Evans launched 321 Coffee, named for the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome, which causes Down syndrome. “Our name is something that we’re really proud of because we view it as a way to recognize everyone’s uniqueness.”

While Wrege admits she is not a coffee fanatic, she recognized that coffee shops are great community hubs that foster connection. “We decided to create a space where people in the Raleigh community could come, get to know their barista, and chat,” she says. “Our mission was bringing people together while increasing representation for people with disabilities in the community.”

The company currently employs more than 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We have staff members with Down syndrome, and also autism, spina bifida, DiGeorge syndrome—you name it, you have a place with us,” says Wrege, who is pleased that some of her friends from childhood who have Down syndrome are now working at 321. “I think it is super cool that we were able to create these opportunities together.”

321 Coffee operates three coffee shops in North Carolina (two in Raleigh and one in Durham), and they roast their own beans, ethically sourced via De La Finca Coffee Importers. “De La Finca is a local company started by Nelson Amadora, a fifth-generation coffee farmer from Honduras,” says Wrege. “Nelson grew up working on his grandfather’s coffee farm and then moved to Holly Springs, North Carolina, of all places! Nelson imports from his family’s and friends’ farms in Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia, and we are really proud to partner with him.”

“Our team of roasters, Amanda, Paul, and Sophie, have been trained to roast really amazing coffee,” she says. Wrege says that her cofounder Michael has become “a huge coffee snob.” The team also includes a staff member with an extensive coffee background. “She’s got a really great palate, and our roasters have learned a ton about coffee, so they’re involved in the process as well.” With brews from decaf to dark roast, 321 coffees have been given inspirational names: Elevate, Uplift, Rise, and Stride. The coffee—which is available in the shops and online—is packaged in bags that include drawn images of the actual employees. “It was very intentional to incorporate our baristas on our products,” says Wrege. “We include sketches of their faces, names, and quotes from them.” She says that choice was a way to signify the company’s value of furthering representation. “We make sure that people with disabilities can see someone who looks like them when they walk into our coffee shop or buy our coffee online.”

“We’re very proud to have built a company and a team that people want to be a part of,” says Wrege, who adds they are often at capacity but collect contact information from great people who want to contribute and be a part of their mission. Then, they share job openings when they become available. “We have a pretty intensive two-week training program because a lot of people who work with us have not had prior work experience,” she says. “We make sure that everyone is taken care of and feels confident when it comes time for their first day of working in the stores.”

Wrege is amazed at how successful the business has become. The shops are busy gathering spots, and the website has increased sales tenfold. “The coolest thing from the online store is how people all over the country are able to support 321,” she says. “We get people sending us pictures of our bags of coffee from everywhere, such as in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s just remarkable to know that all these people enjoy 321 in their homes every day.”