Bitty & Beau’s Coffee

A Human-Rights Movement Disguised as a Coffee Shop

Bitty and Beau’s Coffee’s Pittsburgh team.
Bitty and Beau’s Coffee’s Pittsburgh team.
Bitty & Beau’s Coffee’s new Pittsburgh location opened in April 2024 at 1920 Smallman Street in the heart of the Strip District. At every Bitty & Beau’s, they like to say that it’s not just a coffee shop—it’s a human-rights movement disguised as one.

Relates co-founder and franchisor Amy Wright: “My husband Ben and I started Bitty & Beau’s Coffee in Wilmington, North Carolina, inspired by our two youngest children, Bitty and Beau, who have Down syndrome. We created this business to change the way people with disabilities are seen. More than 80 percent of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are unemployed—not because they can’t work, but because they’re rarely given the chance.”

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee exists to change that. They now have over 20 shops nationwide and employ more than 450 people with IDD. Every location is designed to put the employees front and center—engaging with customers, preparing drinks, and creating moments of connection that challenge old perceptions and replace them with respect, warmth, and joy.

The Pittsburgh shop is no exception. From the moment you walk in, you can feel the energy. It’s a place where people come for the coffee but leave with a renewed sense of hope and a changed perspective.

And Bitty & Beau’s has been fortunate to receive national recognition for their mission. Amy was named the 2017 CNN Hero of the Year, and their story has been featured on NBC’s Today, Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, Harry, Rachael Ray, Fox News, and in the Harvard Business Review. Each opportunity has helped shine a brighter light on the importance of inclusion and the value people with disabilities bring to the workforce. The attention is always about showing what’s possible when people are given a chance.

Says Amy: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from the Pittsburgh community. Customers have embraced our mission, and our employees are proud to come to work every day. We’re showing the world that inclusion works, and that when you believe in someone and give them the tools to succeed, they rise to the occasion.

“At Bitty & Beau’s, we believe a cup of coffee can be a powerful tool for change. We hope that by visiting our shop, people see what’s possible—and carry that spirit of inclusion back into their own workplaces, schools, and communities.”

—Greg Suriano, Denise Artman, Amy Wright