321 Coffee set up its coffee cart at several Whole Foods locations in the Triangle on Tuesday.
Staff brewed free coffee and specialty lattes for customers as part of a celebration marking the launch of 321 Coffee's products on the shelves of local Whole Foods stores.
Co-founder Lindsay Wrege, who started 321 Coffee as a freshman at NC State in 2016, said the expansion is a major milestone for the company.
"This expansion means so much to us because the more places selling our coffee, the more people have the opportunity to purchase it, the more coffee we get to roast, and the more people we get to employ," Wrege said.
321 Coffee is a coffee shop and roastery staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Wrege said she never imagined her idea would grow into three Triangle locations and now a presence in Whole Foods.
"Our first year of operations was a folding table and a coffee maker we bought at Target," Wrege said. "To see the growth, the community we've built, and the team we've grown are so aligned and driven by our shared mission of inclusion is so cool. Sitting at Whole Foods with our product, that we roasted ourselves, it's just surreal."
The company aims to create more meaningful employment opportunities. Currently, 321 Coffee employs 60 team members, with more than 500 individuals on a waitlist hoping to join the company.