WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The coffee shop that opened a decade ago to create a future for two siblings with Down syndrome has reached a milestone: Beau, one of the two children who inspired it all, is now working there.
Bitty & Beau’s Coffee in Wilmington employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The shop, which began as one family’s response to a troubling statistic, has grown to locations across 11 states with nearly 500 employees.
“We were just astonished to learn that 80% of people with disabilities don’t have meaningful jobs in their community, and we didn’t want our kids to be a part of that statistic,” said Amy Wright, Beau’s mother and one of the founders. “When we started Bitty & Beau’s Coffee 10 years ago, Beau was only 11 years old, and we were starting to think about the future, for Beau and Bitty, who both have Down syndrome.”…