Young Alumni Pay It Forward With Co-branded Coffee
NC State University alumni are bringing their inclusive coffee company back to where it all began with a new licensing partnership that supports student scholarships.
Young Alumni Pay It Forward With Co-branded Coffee
NC State University alumni are bringing their inclusive coffee company back to where it all began with a new licensing partnership that supports student scholarships.
By Miriam Antelis
Content sponsored and provided by NC State University
A lunchtime conversation in 2017 among North Carolina State University students Lindsay Wrege ’21, Michael Evans ’20 ’21 and their peers changed their college trajectories — and spurred a business with substantial community impact.
“I mentioned 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.”
Determined to change the fact that around 80% of adults with IDD are unemployed, Wrege and Evans co-founded 321 Coffee and set to work getting their idea off the ground — while they were still attending NC State full time.
Friends volunteered to design the logo, build the brand’s social media presence and sell coffee at pop-up events on campus. Wrege and Evans also leaned on friends to help build and paint 321 Coffee’s first space, a booth at the North Carolina State Farmers Market. Seven years later, the company has four locations and employs more than 50 people with IDD.
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.
“We wanted to highlight NC State’s involvement in 321 Coffee’s story and the impact it’s created — it’s truly a byproduct of both parties,” said Wrege. “We thought, ‘Let’s make a coffee to celebrate that.’”
NC State and 321 Coffee: A History
Wrege’s and Evans’ mission was straightforward: provide meaningful employment for people with IDD. But the logistics of executing it proved to be more tricky. With help from NC State’s financial and educational resources, they’ve made 321 Coffee a success.
Wrege and Evans credit the Park Scholarships program with giving them the motivation and encouragement to start 321 Coffee.
“The Park Scholarships program put us in the same room as really driven people,” said Wrege. “It was a fabulous community of people who were driven to be the best versions of themselves and had a shared value of leaving the world better than they found it.”
The financial support from the four-year scholarship program also made it possible for them to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions right out of college.
“Not being up against thousands of dollars of student debt when we graduated helped us make that leap to go full time with the business,” said Wrege.
The Park Scholar alumni network proved to be another invaluable asset of the program. One alumnus who runs an insurance agency reached out to Wrege and Evans when he learned about 321 Coffee, and he offered to explain business insurance terms and policies. Alumni from the general contracting industry did the same. The coffee company has partnered with another business owned by a Park Scholar alumna, Reborn Clothing, to upcycle some of their products.
“It's been so meaningful to see the support of so many different people from the Park program and from NC State play into different parts of our story,” said Wrege.
Wrege and Evans also credit their degree programs with preparing them for their respective roles as 321 Coffee’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer.
“The Poole College of Management gave me a great network, but it also gave me the confidence to go out and talk to people and ask questions to find the information I need,” said Wrege, who majored in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship.
Evans, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics, uses the mathematical knowledge he picked up at the College of Sciences to grow 321 Coffee. He builds financial models for processes like sales analysis and order fulfillment.
“I learned a lot of great problem-solving skills in the Department of Statistics that have helped us navigate the early stages of entrepreneurship in an effective way,” he said.
Wrege and Evans encountered a significant obstacle when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as it threatened 321 Coffee’s business model as a brick-and-mortar coffee shop. The Andrews Launch Accelerator program, which provides a 14-week entrepreneurship program and funding for NC State startup founders, helped them adapt. The experience led them to start roasting their own coffee and open an online store.
“We knew we needed a product that really represented 321 Coffee and brought that experience home for people,” said Evans. “Roasting our own coffee has opened up a lot of doors for us.”
Even after graduating, Wrege and Evans continued to find support from NC State. In 2021, they received the Miller Fellowship, which provides newly graduated NC State alumni a stipend for six months to cover “rent and ramen” while they pursue their business ventures full time.
“There was no certainty that it was all going to work out, but the Miller Fellowship reduced our risk,” said Wrege.
321 Coffee employee Sam hands an iced coffee to a customer at one of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations in Raleigh, N.C.
321 Coffee employee Sam hands an iced coffee to a customer at one of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations in Raleigh, N.C.
321 Coffee employee Sam hands an iced coffee to a customer at one of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations in Raleigh, N.C.
321 Coffee employee Sam hands an iced coffee to a customer at one of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations in Raleigh, N.C.
NC State and 321 Coffee: A History
Wrege’s and Evans’ mission was straightforward: provide meaningful employment for people with IDD. But the logistics of executing it proved to be more tricky. With help from NC State’s financial and educational resources, they’ve made 321 Coffee a success.
Wrege and Evans credit the Park Scholarships program with giving them the motivation and encouragement to start 321 Coffee.
“The Park Scholarships program put us in the same room as really driven people,” said Wrege. “It was a fabulous community of people who were driven to be the best versions of themselves and had a shared value of leaving the world better than they found it.”
The financial support from the four-year scholarship program also made it possible for them to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions right out of college.
“Not being up against thousands of dollars of student debt when we graduated helped us make that leap to go full time with the business,” said Wrege.
The Park Scholar alumni network proved to be another invaluable asset of the program. One alumnus who runs an insurance agency reached out to Wrege and Evans when he learned about 321 Coffee, and he offered to explain business insurance terms and policies. Alumni from the general contracting industry did the same. The coffee company has partnered with another business owned by a Park Scholar alumna, Reborn Clothing, to upcycle some of their products.
“It's been so meaningful to see the support of so many different people from the Park program and from NC State play into different parts of our story,” said Wrege.
Wrege and Evans also credit their degree programs with preparing them for their respective roles as 321 Coffee’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer.
“The Poole College of Management gave me a great network, but it also gave me the confidence to go out and talk to people and ask questions to find the information I need,” said Wrege, who majored in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship.
Evans, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics, uses the mathematical knowledge he picked up at the College of Sciences to grow 321 Coffee. He builds financial models for processes like sales analysis and order fulfillment.
“I learned a lot of great problem-solving skills in the Department of Statistics that have helped us navigate the early stages of entrepreneurship in an effective way,” he said.
Wrege and Evans encountered a significant obstacle when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as it threatened 321 Coffee’s business model as a brick-and-mortar coffee shop. The Andrews Launch Accelerator program, which provides a 14-week entrepreneurship program and funding for NC State startup founders, helped them adapt. The experience led them to start roasting their own coffee and open an online store.
“We knew we needed a product that really represented 321 Coffee and brought that experience home for people,” said Evans. “Roasting our own coffee has opened up a lot of doors for us.”
Even after graduating, Wrege and Evans continued to find support from NC State. In 2021, they received the Miller Fellowship, which provides newly graduated NC State alumni a stipend for six months to cover “rent and ramen” while they pursue their business ventures full time.
“There was no certainty that it was all going to work out, but the Miller Fellowship reduced our risk,” said Wrege.
NC State head football coach Dave Doeren and his wife, Sara, helped Evans and Wrege surprise Sam — a lifelong Wolfpack fan. Photo by Burt Media.
NC State head football coach Dave Doeren and his wife, Sara, helped Evans and Wrege surprise Sam — a lifelong Wolfpack fan. Photo by Burt Media.
A Freshly Brewed Partnership
The co-branded Greater Good coffee marks the next chapter in the 321 Coffee-NC State story. The name of the coffee alludes to the company’s and the university’s shared mission to advance the greater good, champion a culture of inclusion and bring about social and economic development across North Carolina.
The Greater Good partnership will fuel the 321 Coffee ecosystem by creating more jobs and more work hours for existing employees. It will also benefit NC State students, with part of the proceeds from the coffee sales going toward need-based, merit-based, study abroad and athletics scholarships.
“That's something Michael and I are really proud of, especially just having been on the receiving end of NC State scholarships,” said Wrege.
Wrege and Evans also take pride in honoring the people who make it all possible — their employees. The team roasts all of the company’s coffee, fulfills online orders and prepares drink orders at each of 321 Coffee’s four locations. They’re also front and center on the company’s packaging. Each coffee bag features an employee’s name, photo and quote.
Centering 321 Coffee’s branding and operations around their baristas and roasters is a top priority for Wrege and Evans.
“Historically, a lot of individuals with IDD end up with jobs that are menial or behind the scenes. We were looking to create a business that brought those individuals to the forefront and amplified their voices, their presence and what they bring to the table every day,” said Evans.
When deciding on an employee to feature on the Greater Good packaging, the choice was obvious: one of 321 Coffee’s earliest employees, Sam.
“Sam has given so much to 321 Coffee — he was one of our first employees. He started out by serving our coffee on folding tables on NC State’s campus,” said Wrege. “It doesn’t hurt that he’s the world’s biggest NC State fan.”
For Wrege and Evans, their partnership with NC State is a full-circle moment.
“We're an example of students who were given a lot of great access to new resources, and through that we were able to do a lot of good for the community,” said Wrege. “That's something we're really proud and appreciative of.”
This content is paid for and provided by NC State University and developed by Inside Higher Ed's sponsored content team. The editorial staff of Inside Higher Ed had no role in its creation.
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