321 Coffee Spotlight

321 Coffee Spotlight 

321 Coffee is a coffee shop and roaster focusing on workforce inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Based in Raleigh, the company currently employs over 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). 321 baristas do it all: roasting the coffee, taking the orders, and making the lattes. Together they are demonstrating the value of an inclusive business model. Launched in 2017, the company is on a mission to change the statistic that 80% of adults with disabilities are unemployed.

321 Coffee has been busy over the past few years and is gearing up for even more adventures. Earlier this year, 321 Coffee expanded its inclusive workforce with a new location in the heart of downtown Raleigh. 321’s newest shop and is located at 615 Hillsborough St., set in the courtyard of the Bloc83 development at the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Glenwood Avenue. The menu features a full coffee menu with rotating specials and light food offerings and be open seven days a week from 7 AM - 6 PM.

321 Coffee has come a long way since serving Starbucks coffee; in other exciting news, they were able to start roasting their own beans and have partnered with Lenovo and Engage NC, a non-profit providing venture financing to make the workforce an inclusive space for people with all abilities. As part of this new partnership, 321 Coffee will open a fully accessible roasting facility, filled with Lenovo technology, helping them scale the company’s roasting capacity and enabling them to create new jobs and hire additional staff. 

Next up, the adventures and growth continues! 321 is expanding its inclusive workforce from its Raleigh base to its first location in the heart of downtown Durham. The new shop will be located at 300 Morris Street, as a part of the Durham Innovation District developed by Longfellow Real Estate Partners. It will feature a full coffee menu with rotating specials and light food offerings and be open seven days a week.

The Durham community can gather on Saturday, December 3^rd 2022, at 9:30 AM for the Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate 321’s mission of inclusion while enjoying a great cup of coffee. The grand opening for the downtown Raleigh location was a blast and I am sure this grand opening will be of the same caliber and excitement! 

321 Coffee is near and dear to my heart for many reasons but the MAIN reason is that my brother Sam, if you know him you love him, has been with this company since the beginning and is an intricate part of their barista staff. Sam is always enthusiastic and says that his favorite part of working at 321 is that he can interact with the public as well as serve great coffee. Each and every team member is full of smiles and I love seeing them thrive! 

Trust me, you want to keep this company on your radar, not only to support but to be inspired by the owners vision and application of the vision as they are growing every day. The coffee is great, recently voted best in the Triangle, the people are great, and you will enjoy every second of not only the coffee but the company for the amazing staff. Do yourself a favor and take your next coffee break at 321 Coffee, they have multiple locations to find them and very accommodating hours, you will not be disappointed! 

Andrew Hening

919.343.0252

andrew@peterkima.com