On Saturday, a crowd gathered on North Main Street for the official opening of the Providence location of Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, a cafe that strives to employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Baristas were introduced one by one, cheered on by family, friends and customers. Over 20 employees lined up against the shop’s brick wall, all excited to start work at the new Providence location.
“Jobs are so scarce for this population that people will drive 30, 45, 60 minutes just to get here, to have a job,” said Ben Wright, Bitty & Beau’s co-founder.
Ben Wright started the company in 2016 with his wife, Amy, naming it after their two youngest children, who were both born with Down syndrome. After opening its first shop in Wilmington, North Carolina, the chain has since grown to over a dozen locations across 11 states, employing more than 450 people nationwide.
Bitty & Beau’s aims to set their baristas up for future employment at other coffee shops and beyond. “We always say that the greatest compliment that anybody could pay us is not (that) ‘Your coffee is fantastic,’ even though it is,” Ben Wright said. “It’s to poach one of the employees.”
The grand opening of the Providence location aligned with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which takes place in October and recognizes the contributions of workers with disabilities and promotes inclusive hiring.
The co-founding duo was motivated to open up the shop when they learned “80% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities cannot get a job in their own communities,” Ben Wright said in a speech shortly before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Imagine if you said that about any other population.”
He added that the company’s goal is to create a place where its employees feel empowered. “They’ve spent a lot of their lives (with) people telling them they really can’t do anything, so they believe it,” he said.
Ben Wright has seen baristas progress from calling out customers’ names when their orders are ready to thinking, “Hey, I think I could make a drink,” or, “I think I could be on the point of sale,” he added.
Inside the cafe and along the street, baristas in brown aprons chatted with customers queuing to try Bitty & Beau’s menu items, which include coffee, smoothies and pastries. For some employees, this is their first-ever job, Ben Wright said.
Morgan Ferro, who recently joined the team, smiled as she greeted customers. “I’m excited,” she said in an interview with The Herald. Her mother, Kim Ferro, said she teared up when she saw the community come together to support the new business.
“This is day six now that we’ve been coming every single day (for) training, and Morgan’s a trooper for … giving it her all,” Kim Ferro said.
Among the customers was Joan Wright, who works as a life-skills teacher in Johnston. She said she came to support a fellow teacher’s daughter, who is an employee at the shop, but she also recognized a former student of hers among the baristas. “I’m very familiar with all kinds of students with all kinds of disabilities, (and) this is a wonderful experience and opportunity,” she said.
The event also excited local chef and restaurant influencer David Rivoli, a Johnson and Wales University graduate with over 50,000 followers on Instagram. Rivoli praised the cafe for being a space that could give employees financial stability and “more confidence in life.”
Joan Wright hopes the cafe “brings people together,” she said.
