321 Coffee x Lenovo

Check out the fun we’ve had in 2023 in our Holiday Jingle!

Lenovo is helping impact 321 Coffee as an organization and the lives of individuals on our team by providing meaningful work for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

With the support of Lenovo Evolve Small, our roastery is now outfitted with technology that not only allows our team to do their jobs with independence, but to thrive.

An Overview of our Partnership:

321 Coffee is proud to partner with Lenovo and Engage NC to launch a fully accessible roasting facility, filled with Lenovo technology, helping scale the company’s roasting capacity, create new jobs, and hire additional staff.

Fueled from Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office, Lenovo is partnering with appliedAIstudio and 321 Coffee to create a custom AI solution to increase workplace independence within 321’s roasting facility.

The goal is to equip 321 Coffee roasters for greater workplace independence. 

Lenovo had deployed tablets throughout 321 Coffee’s roasting facility at different stations to help monitor, prompt, and guide roasters through the roasting process. 321 Roasters can get validation on the next best task to complete, as well as monitor their progress for the days roasting and production needs, from the AI as opposed to a manager.

“At Lenovo, our mission is to provide smarter technology for all, and we are proud to partner with organizations like 321 Coffee that are committed to fostering a more inclusive community here in Raleigh.”

- Gerald Youngblood, Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo North America.

Lenovo’s support helped us design the operations so that our team can go from start to finish independently. Through specific roasting equipment and redesigned packaging, Lenovo has equipped 321 Coffee’s roasting facility with cutting-edge Lenovo technology, such as commercial computing software, monitors, and tablets, to enhance the workflow.