There isn’t a better moment than when you’re handed your Bitty & Beau’s iced latte.
A worker with the brightest smile gifts you a vanilla latte that has the perfect milky, caramel brown color, featuring a bouquet of happy daisies drawn around cup.
Surrounding the smiling daises are the words, “You are loved” with little hearts all around.
You can’t help but feel a wave of overwhelming happiness as you make your way back to your car. The sun’s brighter, the community feels friendlier and positivity radiates around you.
Bitty & Beau’s isn’t just a spot that brightens up your day but is also changing the lives of its workers.
Bitty & Beau’s, a mobile coffee cruiser that is dedicated to helping people with disabilities by providing them with a job that values them, has opened its first Arizona franchise here in Tucson, bringing along good vibes and good coffee.
Back in 2016, Amy Wright and her husband, Ben, read an alarming statistic: over 80% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were unemployed nationwide.
As proud parents of Lillie, who was born with autism, and Bitty and Beau, who were born with down syndrome, they knew people with disabilities deserved way more than to be apart of that statistic.
So, the Wright’s got to work.
They opened a coffee shop in Wilmington, North Carolina, employing 19 people with disabilities to help them run the café. It didn’t take long for them to realize they started something special.
“We noticed that every visitor that came through our doors was having this great experience spending time with someone with disabilities and starting to see them differently,” Amy Wright said. “We started by thinking, you know, we're going to create some jobs for people with disabilities in our community and it quickly evolved to we need to create as many of these experiences as we can.”
In the past 10 years, Bitty & Beau’s has grown tremendously. They now have 25 locations across the United States with more than 450 employees.
The best moments are when Wright’s get to witness how much seeing someone with disabilities in the workplace affects those who thought this was something they wouldn’t be able to do.
“The ultimate moments are those families that have young children that have disabilities that don't know what their child's future looks like, and have a lot of concerns and fears, similar to the way Ben and I felt,” Wright said. “We just didn't know, because we never saw people with down syndrome in the workplace, but when you see a young family approach with a child with a disability, you get to see them have that moment of wow that's what my child's future could look like. We also give that child a future employee button, and we make a big deal out of them. Those are really special moments.”
Luckily, a local family here in Tucson, the Emineth’s, caught wind of Bitty & Beau’s and decided to open a mobile cruiser here in town, making it their first location in the whole state.
“We were thrilled, the Emineth’s are great people,” Amy Wright said. “They have a heart for doing this, and we felt like it was a really good match for our brand. They've just jumped in, embraced the mission and are starting to connect with their community.”
The mobile cruiser has a full espresso menu as well as chai and matcha lattes.
You can expect to see a full-blown espresso bar on wheels when you visit Bitty & Beau’s, at 7225 N. Oracle Rd. Lattes, americanos, cappuccinos and coffee can all be ordered here along with other options like chai lattes, matcha lattes and hot chocolate.
Amy Wright said the iced lattes tend to be the most popular, especially in the summer heat.
I stopped by on Thursday morning for my caffeine fix, ordering my very basic, but favorite, drink: an iced vanilla latte.
As you approach the black and white striped cruiser, you can pretty much feel the good vibes hit you instantly. I think it’s impossible to leave in a bad mood when you stop by.
The workers were so kind and caring, whipping up my latte in no time. To be able to take some time out of your day to connect with the community and chat with the employees is such a heartwarming experience.
The cherry on top is the latte, which was so smooth and creamy, the perfect balance of bold espresso and sweet vanilla.
In a time when we sometimes let the summer heat get us all riled up, Bitty & Beau’s is a great reminder that kindness still exists and still matters.
It also shows us the importance of starting our day off with a great latte.
“Our whole goal is bringing people together,” Amy Wright said. “We do that with coffee as the platform, but it's really all about human connection.”
To see their weekly schedule or what local events they will be at, make sure to check their website.
