The Company

Aspire CoffeeWorks is a dynamic social enterprise coffee company started by Aspire in partnership with Metropolis Coffee Company. Founded in 2009, the partnership combines the work of Aspire, an innovative non-profit organization working with people with disabilities to shape the future of inclusivity, with the craftsmanship of Metropolis Coffee Company, one of the nation’s top artisan coffee roasters.

This creative and mutually beneficial partnership is one in which adults with disabilities on the Aspire CoffeeWorks team work side by side with employees on the Metropolis Coffee Company team. That’s right, at Aspire CoffeeWorks, even the staff is perfectly blended!

It’s a groundbreaking partnership and perfect example of how adults with disabilities can be productive and successful members of the workforce. And just as exciting is the fact that 100% of Aspire CoffeeWorks’ net proceeds go back to Aspire’s services and programs.

Buy our craft coffees and you’ll join our effort to demonstrate how a diversified workforce is both mutually and culturally beneficial, while also supporting life-changing services and programs for people with disabilities.

The Cause

When people promote and demonstrate a way of living that embraces and celebrates the inclusion of those with disabilities, everyone is better and stronger for it. At Aspire, and at its social enterprise Aspire CoffeeWorks, this is not a goal or a dream but a belief lived out every day.

Aspire is one of the most innovative human service non-profits in the Midwest. Since 1960, Aspire’s mission has been to make boundless inclusivity possible for people with disabilities. Aspire is backed by 200 community partners, thousands of donors, volunteers and family and friends who work together with people with disabilities to shape the future of inclusivity.

100% of Aspire CoffeeWorks’ net proceeds go back to Aspire to support vital and meaningful programs and services. Every bag of coffee does things like provide hands-on training for adults looking for jobs that provide empowerment and satisfaction, cover the cost for a high-tech device that helps a person speak and provide classes in which an adult learns how to live independently.

Every bag of coffee matters. Buy it, enjoy it, share it and spread the word.

The Coffee

Aspire CoffeeWorks is thrilled to bring you nationally recognized, hand-roasted, fair trade and organic certified coffees, thanks to the help of our partner Metropolis Coffee Company. Metropolis has received many accolades including being named micro-roaster of the year by Roast Magazine and one of America’s top coffees by Saveur Magazine.

Using vintage German roasting equipment, Metropolis Coffee Company’s expert roasters are artists who carefully craft the flavor of each batch. Every bag of coffee is roasted to order and we proudly write the roasting date on each bag before shipping it directly to you. Open one of our bags of coffee and the incredible aromas will put a smile on your face, as will the wonderfully unique, distinctive and satisfying flavor.

All our coffee blends are organic certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association. Organic certification proves coffee has been grown, harvested, processed, shipped, roasted and sold in conditions that do not affect the organic integrity of the coffee and help promote sustainability in agriculture. All our coffees also display the Fair Trade logo. Through Fair Trade certification, coffee producers are offered a minimum floor price and a social premium, ensuring costs of production are covered and communities can invest in important social and economic initiatives.

Aspire CoffeeWorks coffee is a brew you can feel good about. From its humble origins to its award-winning finish, it’s coffee that provides adults with disabilities with rewarding work while also supporting Aspire’s programs and services for kids and adults with disabilities.