Coffee shop staffed by people with disabilities opens in Melrose – Boston News, Weather, Sports

MELROSE, MASS. (WHDH) – A coffee shop franchise that focuses on employing people with disabilities set up its latest location in Melrose on Saturday.

Amy and Ben Wright opened their Biddy and Beau’s coffee shop in North Carolina, naming it after two of their children who were born with Down’s Syndrome. Nearly 80 percent of people living with disabilities are unemployed, and Ben Wright said the shops and their employees work to change minds as well as serve up coffee and pastries.

“We’re here to show them that with some compassion, with some commitment, with some creativity you can innovate your systems around people with disabilities and help them be successful in your workplace, and run a real business,” Ben Wright said at the Melrose shop’s grand opening.

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