A Robust Roast
NC State teams up with a coffee business that gives opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities.
By Carole Tanzer Miller
How about a cup of java for a good cause — or two?
NC 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.
When it comes to licensing or co-branding products, the university prefers partners whose missions align with NC State. “321 checks all the boxes in terms of their corporate social responsibilities, ethics and values and how they relate back to NC State,” says Christopher Boyer, assistant vice chancellor for strategic brand management.
321 Coffee is the brainchild of Lindsey Wrege ’21 of Raleigh, who recognized in high school that job opportunities for classmates with disabilities seemed bleak — fully 80% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are unemployed. The name is a nod to the cause of Down syndrome — a third copy of the 21st chromosome. Once at NC State, Wrege and Michael Evans ’21 MR of Raleigh set up shop on folding tables with home coffeemakers to give those friends — and their friends — jobs serving coffee at campus and community events.
“What a fun way to engage people with disabilities, to give them a team that they can be part of and a place where everyone can work together and the community can see them working to change stereotypes.”
– Lindsey Wrege ’21
“I’d seen other coffee shops with this business model, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s brilliant!’” Wrege says. “What a fun way to engage people with disabilities, to give them a team that they can be part of and a place where everyone can work together and the community can see them working to change stereotypes.”
Today, 321 has 60 employees, including Wrege’s high school friends. They roast and package Honduran beans, whip lattes, and ship coffee, mugs, T-shirts and other merchandise to more than 40 states. The company has three N.C. stores — two in Raleigh and one in Durham — and recently opened its own roaster. Boyer, Wrege and Evans expect job opportunities to grow with the introduction of Greater Good coffee. It’s expected to be sold at 321 stores, online and on campus, and seasonal blends are likely to follow.
