Third Horse Coffee team serving coffee to a guest at a community event

Our Mission

Creating meaningful employment opportunities and community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through exceptional coffee.

More Than Just Coffee

Third Horse Coffee is already bringing people together through specialty coffee, training activities, order preparation, deliveries, events, and community partnerships. Each step is helping us learn, build relationships, and prepare for a permanent inclusive coffee shop.

Josiah, the inspiration behind Third Horse Coffee

Inspired by Josiah

Our son Josiah inspired Third Horse Coffee and opened our eyes to the challenges adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities often face after school-age programs end. Like many families, we began asking what opportunities would be available for meaningful work, relationships, and continued growth. That question became the foundation for Third Horse Coffee.

Support the Mission

What began as a question about our son's future grew into a vision for many others.

Life After School Programs End

For many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, opportunities for meaningful employment and community connection become limited after school-age programs end. Families are often left searching for places where their loved ones can continue developing skills, building relationships, and contributing in meaningful ways. Third Horse Coffee is helping build a future where adults of all abilities can contribute their gifts and thrive in community.

Josiah serving coffee samples at a community event

Why Coffee?

Coffee brings people together. Coffee shops naturally create spaces for conversation, connection, learning, and community—making them an ideal environment for building meaningful opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Concept illustration of the future Third Horse Coffee café

Our Vision

Our vision is to open a welcoming community coffee shop where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can build meaningful skills, relationships, confidence, and employment opportunities. We hope to create a place where exceptional coffee brings people together and where individuals of all abilities are valued, included, and encouraged to thrive.


Conceptual illustration of our vision for a future inclusive coffee shop.

Help Build the Mission

What We’re Building Now

Opening a permanent inclusive coffee shop remains our larger goal, but our mission is already at work. Third Horse Coffee provides hands-on training and work experience through preparing and packing orders, making customer deliveries, participating in community events, and building partnerships with inclusive cafés, schools, churches, workplaces, and senior communities.

Each of these experiences creates opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities while helping us develop the knowledge, relationships, and support needed to operate a successful inclusive coffee shop.

Building Community Through Coffee

Every purchase, partnership, donation, and act of support helps bring this vision closer to reality.

Shop CoffeeMeet Our Team