Subject line says it all. At this past weekend’s Victory Day Celebration - presented by Gigi’s Playhouse - N.C. State Head Football Coach and 321 Coffee Barista Sam Hening talk about the Victory Day event, coffee, football, and more. Stick around to find out who stands out as Sam’s favorite Wolfpack player!
Read MoreDurham is home to a truly thriving coffee scene. Explore some of the local favorites and new-to-you options around the city. Here's our guide to the best coffee shops in Durham - including 321 Coffee, a mission-driven retailser and roaster nestled in the heart of Durham's thriving coffee scene.
Read MoreAda Lopez is a Senior Manager with Lenovo's Product Diversity Office. Lopez and her team look for partnership opportunities with companies that might need technology products or support. Enter 321 Coffee - a Raleigh-based roaster and retail company that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities - who was launching its new roasting facility. Lopez thought, "Let's bring our technology to make a smart workplace and see if we can innovate retail." Learn how Lenovo and its AI technology are easing the burdens on 321 Coffee Roasters.
Read MoreWhen the subject of diversity, equity, and inclusion arises, it typically centers around race or even gender identity. Far less often does DEI touch on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). But it was this overlooked community that inspired the creation of 321 Coffee, a Raleigh-based coffee shop and roastery that employs staff from the historically underrepresented—and often underemployed—population.
Read MoreFrom folding tables and the Farmer's Market to Downtown Raleigh and Durham, 321 Coffee has quickly become a beloved Triangle brand. The mission-driven company aims to provide meaningful employment to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. NC State Chancellor Woodson sits down with founders and NCSU alumni Michael Evans and Lindsay Wrege to talk about how the Wolfpack community helped turn their ideas into reality. Plus, barista Sam teaches Chancellor Woodson how to make a dirty chai latte.
Read MoreThroughout the third-wave coffee movement, hot topics include sustainability, accountability, origin tracing, fair trade, and inclusivity. 321 Coffee faces inclusivity and accessibility head on by providing employment for people with disabilities. In interviews with Michael Evans and Sophie Pacyna of 321 Coffee, we hear the important stories behind 321 Coffee and its mission.
Read MoreWe are excited to announce the recipients of the Spring 2023 Impact Partner Grant, a program aimed at fostering inclusive innovation in Raleigh. Five local businesses have been chosen to receive this grant, recognizing their dedication to supporting underrepresented innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. We are honored to support 321 Coffee with one of these grants. 321 Coffee is a social enterprise that empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Read MoreMeet the Triangle Business Journal's outstanding class of 2023 40 Under 40 Awards winners, representing the rising leaders in the business community across Raleigh, Durham and beyond. We talk with winner Lindsay Wrege, co-founder of 321 Coffee, a coffee shop that employs adults with special needs.
Read MoreNC State has teamed up with 321 Coffee — a company launched on campus in 2017 by two Park Scholars — to bring a one-of-a-kind Wolfpack roast to market. Like other university-licensed products, the coffee, which carries the university’s “Greater Good” label, will generate money for merit and athletic scholarships, as well as for students to study abroad.
Read MoreTriangle Business Journal unveiled the third batch of its 2023 class of 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards winners, a list that includes young business and community leaders from across the region. The 40 Under 40 awards recognize outstanding professionals under the age of 40 for their contributions to their organizations and to the community. This year, more than 200 nominations were submitted. The winners, including Lindsay Wrege of 321 Coffee, will be honored at an event on June 29 at Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh.
Read MoreAlyssa Torres of CBS 17’s My Carolina visits the 321 Coffee Roasting Facility in Raleigh, where barista Sophie Pacyna shows off the equipment.
Read MoreEvery year, TCREW brings the Raleigh-Durham commercial real estate community together to celebrate champions in the industry. We compile nominations for successful real estate projects and professionals throughout the Triangle area and select winners who are honored at the Awards Ceremony. The 24th Annual TCREW Champion Awards was held on April 27, 2023 at the Embassy Suites in Cary. 321 Coffee in Durham won the Community Enhancement Award - an award granted to a public or private project that enhances its community through improved quality of life, aesthetic appeal and/or other positive aspects.
Read MoreDuring my recent visit to the City of Oaks, I tried to visit the people and places that create community in Raleigh, North Carolina. I love to try local coffee places, and 321 Coffee was less than a mile from my hotel. I stopped one morning at this shop that trains and employs people with intellectual disabilities.
Read MoreAlyssa Torres of CBS 17’s My Carolina talks with 321 Coffee CEO Lindsay Wrege about 321 Coffee and its mission.
Read MoreThe City of Raleigh's Building Up-Fit Grant offers funding to support commercial property interior improvements. Raleigh-native and local small business owner, Lindsay Wrege, shares the impact the Building Up-fit Grant has had on 321 Coffee.
Read More321 Coffee, which employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is is expanding its in-office business with a cafe inside the Perimeter Park headquarters of Relias, a healthcare technology company. The coffee brand already operates a location inside Pendo's Downtown Raleigh headquarters. Corporate partnerships are a main piece of the company's business model. "As companies are looking for strategic, return-to-office initiatives, 321 has been able to be a part of that – which has been fantastic for us," said 321 Coffee CEO and co-founder Lindsay Wrege.
Read MoreRelias, trusted education and workforce development partner to more than 11,000 healthcare organizations worldwide, today announced a new partnership with 321 Coffee, a Raleigh-based coffee shop and specialty roaster staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through this partnership, Relias is building a 321 Coffee café inside its Morrisville headquarters that will serve as a unique environment for 321 and Relias staff to interact and further both companies’ shared mission of supporting inclusivity. “It means a lot when companies include me in things and make me feel like I am a part of their family, just like my 321 family,” says Sophie Pacyna, 321 Coffee Barista and Roaster. “I hope my friends are able to experience the same thing and that other companies can see how great we are.”
Read MoreA fateful conversation in 2017 among Park Scholars Lindsay Wrege '21, Michael Evans '20 '21 and their peers changed their college trajectories — and spurred a business with substantial community impact. "I mentioned at lunch one day that I'd love to start a coffee shop that employed people with disabilities," said Wrege, who grew up alongside friends with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and saw them struggle to find meaningful employment later on. "That's how everything kicked off." Now, Wrege and Evans are bringing their coffee business back to where it all began. As part of a new partnership, NC State and 321 Coffee have released a licensed co-branded coffee called Greater Good.
Read MoreRaleigh, North Carolina, has been making a name for itself as a top destination for those seeking an affordable and high-quality lifestyle. Among our list of fun-filled things to do in Raleigh is exploring its socially-conscious businesses. "My favorite way to spend a day in Raleigh is by doing a food crawl through social businesses and supporting local entrepreneurs. I start with coffee at 321 Coffee, a coffee shop that prioritizes diversity and inclusivity in its hiring practices. Then, I walk to A Place at the Table, a pay-what-you-can cafe for lunch. Finally, I end the day with a drink from Wye Hill, overlooking the downtown skyline."
Read MoreA fateful conversation in 2017 among Park Scholars Lindsay Wrege '21, Michael Evans '20 '21 and their peers changed their college trajectories - and spurred a business with substantial community impact. "I mentioned at lunch one day that I’d love to start a coffee shop that employed people with disabilities," said Wrege, who grew up alongside friends with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and saw them struggle to find meaningful employment later on. "That's how everything kicked off." Now, Wrege and Evans are bringing their coffee business back to where it all began. As part of a new partnership, NC State and 321 Coffee have released a licensed co-branded coffee called Greater Good.
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