Healthcare technology company and local coffee shop join forces to foster community and further shared mission of inclusivity
Relias, trusted education and workforce development partner to more than 11,000 healthcare organizations worldwide, today announced a new partnership with 321 Coffee, a Raleigh-based coffee shop and specialty roaster staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through this partnership, Relias is building a 321 Coffee café inside its Morrisville headquarters that will serve as a unique environment for 321 and Relias staff to interact and further both companies’ shared mission of supporting inclusivity.
Relias will fully sponsor beverages and pastries from the 321 Coffee at Relias café for its employees as an amenity to its headquarters office. The company is excited to support Relians as they relax and work in the café and get to know 321 baristas.
The café will be open four days per week, and construction will begin in May with an opening slated for this summer. It will be staffed by 321 Coffee employees with IDD, helping 321 to create new employment opportunities for some of the 200+ individuals on the waiting list to work in its cafes.
321 Coffee is built on inclusion. Founded in 2017 by Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans, two Park Scholars at NC State University, 321 operates multiple coffee shops in the Raleigh area (four in the Triangle) and continues to pursue opportunities to expand their impact, as seen in their partnerships with over 100 organizations including NC State University and Lenovo. The company, which roasts its own coffee and offers a full espresso menu, demonstrates the value of a business model built around an accessible workforce and fosters a diverse and more inclusive community.
“Our newest 321 Coffee location at Relias’ headquarters will enable our team and Relias employees to develop a community built on inclusivity,” said 321 Coffee co-founder Lindsay Wrege. “We want to help other companies embrace disability inclusion, and we’re so proud to partner with Relias who is truly walking the walk. Relias shares our core values of DEI and belonging, and we’re proud to create a win-win partnership and further both of our company cultures. I can’t wait to watch friendships develop between 321 and Relias, and I’m so proud of the impact that we will make together. We look forward to welcoming new members to the 321 Coffee team at the café and expanding our impact alongside the incredible folks at Relias!”
Supporting IDD organizations has been a part of the Relias mission since before the company was formally established. One of Relias’ founding companies’ principal missions was providing behavioral health and IDD content to providers, and partnerships like the one with 321 are just a continuation of these efforts which remain core to who Relias has always been. This commitment to the IDD community also extends to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
These efforts are not limited to the company’s culture but extend to its education technology products and courses. Relias helps educate healthcare professionals about cultural competency, improving care for marginalized populations, promoting inclusive care settings, and more — thereby driving better health equity, care delivery, and patient outcomes across the healthcare continuum. Relias includes diversity training in all learning packages and maintains a library of more than 7,000 online courses, all of which focus on meeting or exceeding Americans with Disabilities Act and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 standards of accessibility.
“At Relias, we’re proud to foster an environment where everyone in our community can feel supported and be their authentic selves,” said Tina Krebs, Chief People Officer, Relias. “We’re dedicated to improving the lives of the most vulnerable members of society and those who care for them, while positively impacting the communities we serve — including our local North Carolina community. We look forward to welcoming 321 Coffee to our headquarters this summer and for our teams to come together to foster an inclusive community that celebrates our shared values.”
“It means a lot when companies include me in things and make me feel like I am a part of their family, just like my 321 family,” says Sophie Pacyna, 321 Coffee Barista and Roaster. “I hope my friends are able to experience the same thing and that other companies can see how great we are.”
About 321 Coffee
321 Coffee is a coffee shop and specialty roaster built on inclusion. The company is located in Raleigh, and it currently employs over 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They are the ones roasting the coffee, taking the orders, and making the lattes. Together they demonstrate the value of an inclusive business model. The company is on a mission to change the statistic that 80% of adults with disabilities are unemployed. For more information, visit: 321coffee.com. Interested in how your company can partner with 321 Coffee? Reach out to [email protected].
About Relias
Relias provides lifelong workforce enablement solutions for 12,000 healthcare and human services organizations and 4.5 million caregivers to drive measurable outcomes. Customers use Relias solutions to attract and retain talent, elevate care quality and reduce risk with our technology, services, community, and expertise. The Relias family of brands — Nurse.com, Wound Care Education Institute, Relias Academy, FreeCME, and Relias Media — serves the entire healthcare community and shares a common goal of improving the lives of the most vulnerable members of society and those who care for them.
