HARTLAND, Wis. — A special coffee company in Hartland officially opened in March of last year and already, the business is working on opening a second location.
Before Inclusion Coffee Company opened its doors, we reported on the building’s development and its owner, Mackenzie Edinger, who was 23 years old at the time. Since then, the coffee shop has gained a lot of popularity.
“I’m a Starbucks guy and I'll drive by Starbucks any time I can to come here,” customer Bruce Flunker said.
Bruce is a regular. He said there are many coffee shop options within three to four miles of Inclusion Coffee but chooses to shop with the company because of its staff and purpose.
“Caleb, one of the baristas, is just a wonderful guy, really in tuned to helping people,” Flunker said. “Yeah, Caleb is engaged and getting married.”
Customers become family members, so they tend to learn so much about each other. Through those personal conversations, you’ll notice more similarities than differences.
“People with Down Syndrome are all different just like you and your friends are different,” manager Sam Allen said while reading a letter that sits inside the coffee shop.
An employee wrote the letter for customers to see as they walk in.
Most of the 20 coffee shop employees at Inclusion Coffee have special needs.
Emma Rose Cuomo has been working at the location since the beginning.
“I love it,” she said.
She's known by customers for her laugh and warm welcome.
“I get compliments all the time about how she makes people's days just with her smile,” Sam said.
Emma also loves to write sweet messages on coffee cups, so customers know they’re special.
“Have a great day, you are wonderful,” Emma said as she read an example of one of her messages.
“Do you think you’ll be working here forever?” reporter Symone Woolridge asked.
“Always,” Emma replied.
Emma has known the owner, Mackenzie, since high school. Mackenzie reached out to Emma’s mom before the coffee shop opened.
“Sometimes we would walk in the hallways. We walked together and we talked to each other and sometimes we had lunch with each other too.”
Mackenzie has always had a passion for helping those with different abilities. She studied Special Education in college and graduated in 2020 with a teaching degree and a master’s degree in administration and leadership.
“I realized I wanted to make a difference and give them opportunities they may not have or may not have had before this,” Mackenzie said. “We treat them just like any employer would treat their employee. You're still going to do the things you're asked to do.”
“Do you ever sit back and you're like oh my gosh, I can't believe I just did all of this?” Symone asked.
“Yes. Definitely. I would say almost every day,” Mackenzie said as she smiled.
She said many people are shocked to learn she runs the business. She got the idea to open the shop after visiting a similar one on the east coast.
For some of the employees, Inclusion Coffee is their first job. Through training, one of the first steps is working on eye contact and smiling. What then follows is learning the register, drive-through, and drinks/food.
“Our main focus is the customer service. We really want them to make a connection with our customers that come in here.”
Mackenzie’s vision has come to life. But what she didn’t know before her journey, was the serious need in the community.
Within the first couple of months, Inclusion Coffee had 300 people on a waiting list.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Symone said. “Back up, 300 people? Wow.”
“Yes,” Mackenzie said. “I know.”
The first person to reach out to her was Sam, one of the two managers at the coffee shop.
“She was just 24 at the time of opening it. I was like oh my gosh, that’s amazing,” Sam said.
The two have become close friends.
“This is the perfect blend of getting to use my background and doing something fun.”
Sam was a teacher for 13 years before she gave birth to her daughter. She worked as a stay-at-home mom for a while but once she saw a job posting for Inclusion Coffee, she knew she had to work there.
“I want to have something specific that we're working on, every shift. What’s our goal for today? Then just kind of focusing on that one thing and working towards it.”
Sam works with employees on building social skills and confidence. She encourages employees to start with a smile so the customers can leave with one.
Since opening, Inclusion Coffee has received just a couple of complaints. Mackenzie said it’s much less than any other business. For instance, one customer was upset an employee missed a couple of cents when giving change back. Mackenzie said she shares the good and bad with her staff because they operate just like any other business.
Once she eventually opens an Inclusion Coffee in another city in Wisconsin, Mackenzie said she’s considering opening another outside of the state.
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