More than coffee: Butler Coffee Lab creates opportunities
When people wake up in the morning, they want to have something that gives their lives purpose. For many, a job is that reason. The Butler Coffee Lab provides that sense of purpose to people who are in their early job experiences.
One of the workers at the coffee lab is Brianna Ealy. She has been with the company for a year. During that time, she has had the opportunity to work in coffee production and has even become a trainer for other team members.
“I first heard about this job when I called them and asked if they were hiring, and they brought me in for an assessment, which I was able to do in under 20 minutes. I have been here for a year,” Ealy said. “My experience here has been wonderful, and I got promoted to be a trainer for the new employees that come in. Being a trainer has also been wonderful, as I get to know the employees, and if they have a question, they come to me.”
Beyond creating, producing and selling coffee pods, the company has taken a different approach to who they hire. According to the lab’s website, the shop took inspiration from a local coffee shop that employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which led them to do the same.
The main operation of the coffee lab is an inclusive coffee production facility that creates meaningful, paid employment for individuals with disabilities. The shop is located on Butler’s Main Street. Its offices are on the top floor of the same building.
But the basement is where the magic happens.
In the lab, they fill tea bags, coffee bags and K-Cups with precision, weighing the contents to make sure each one has the proper amount. Once each product is filled and packaged, it is stored at their facility before being sent out to the various companies and coffee shops they sell to.
“Butler Coffee Lab was founded by Terry Kaiserman and Nadine Tripodi four years ago, in 2022, and their whole mission was to create job opportunities for those with disabilities,” Luke Gilligan, executive director of Butler Coffee Lab, said. “They both have a background in manufacturing, as Tripodi founded Butler Technologies, and they found that coffee and tea production was a great way to teach job skills while also providing a repetitive job.”
In addition to working at the lab and being a trainer, Ealy recently completed a hands-on career exploration experience at Butler County Community College, giving her the opportunity to experience administrative work in a real workplace.
It is a paid program designed to help individuals with disabilities and others who face barriers to employment build confidence, skills, experience and connections. Ealy expressed an interest in becoming an administrative assistant, so she was able to work alongside college staff while learning about administrative responsibilities.
“The program I did at BC3 was very rewarding because I got to do different things, like shadowing Kierra Archibald to see what her job is and what it entails. I also got to run a board meeting, which made me nervous because it is a big responsibility,” Ealy added.
Through her experience at BC3 and her job at the lab, Ealy has high hopes for her future. She has always wanted to be a secretary and believes it would be rewarding.
“I think it is really interesting to see the growth, as Brianna is one of our employees who has been here the longest, and seeing her confidence grow to be able to do the program at BC3 has been incredible,” Gilligan added.
Gilligan also emphasized that the coffee lab gives people with disabilities a chance to dream and be given opportunities they may have never been given before. Those opportunities can help them build confidence and grow in their work.
