Waiting for employees to walk through the door in Auburn, Alabama, owner Beverly May brews the first cup of coffee knowing smiles will be on every face. Bitty and Beau’s Coffee not only has coffee but comes with a story that is an inspiration to all.
In 2022, May opened Auburn’s franchise of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee with her husband. The staff consists of 28 employees who have an intellectual or developmental disability. May and her husband are dedicated to creating, change not only in the walls of their shop but also in the world around them.
Moving to Auburn from Tuscaloosa, May knew she had to win over the Auburn community. However, she didn’t know the impact that she would soon have. After her husband sold his veterinarian practice, selling coffee was not always in the plans.
Opening Bitty and Beau’s was like putting together a puzzle. Finding employees eager to work was the simplest part. The Exceptional Foundation and Auburn’s Eagles program came forward providing spaces for Bitty and Beau’s to hold interviews.
The majority of people with disabilities don’t have opportunities to grow and be a part of the workforce after finishing school. Bitty and Beaus is changing the stigma to make people aware of their capabilities.
“It shows other businesses you can hire people that have some sort of intellectual or developmental disabilities and they can work,” May said. One by one, May knocked on each new employee's door to surprise them with their own barista apron. The tears were flowing down faces like the first shower in April.
The work environment in Bitty and Beau’s changes every day. The daily tasks stay the same, but you never know what you are going to experience. May greets every worker individually to remind them of their purpose in the shop and their capabilities. Employee Rachel Wolfe said, “Beverly tells us to act like it’s Disney World, and I really think that there are aspects about it that feel like magic.”
While the environment is like no other, so is the coffee. The coffee is just as unique as the people who work there. Brewed in the store and mixed by the employees themselves, the coffee is really like unwrapping a present on Christmas.
Working under May has taught Wolfe the importance of kindness. “Small acts of kindness go a long way from a smile, or a compliment, or a cup of coffee,” said Wolfe.
In the shop, is a map with pins available for you to share where in the world you are from. This brings together people from all over to take the joy from the shop out into the rest of the world.
Fulfilling the goal of changing the way people see each other is something that has poured outside of the shop and is contagious in the Auburn community. Walking down the street of downtown Auburn, one of the employees was stopped and asked if they worked at Bitty and Beau’s. The worker smiled ear to ear and could say that they do and love it.
In the future, May sees Bitty and Beaus expanding into surrounding cities in Auburn. The Auburn family has shown their support by keeping Bitty and Beaus constantly busy. Now, is the time to share these characteristics with the rest of the world, one city at a time.
It is all about setting by example. While having conversations with the employees gives you a reminder of how capable people with disabilities are, so are the details within the shop. May said she created the guest wifi password to be “able to work” to get your brain thinking. Everything in the coffee shop is able to work, not just the wifi.
Locking the door at the end of a work day, May is filled with gratitude that she took the leap of faith. Moving to Auburn could just be an opportunity for her to feel the love of the Auburn Family, but It is now known that May expanded what love looks like in that family, and it all started with a cup of coffee.
