During a normal school year, it has always been challenging to find vocational placements for our special needs high schoolers who attend New Horizons Academy. Well, 2020 was anything but normal. With higher unemployment rates in Northwest Ohio and so many public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, vocational placements were more challenging than ever for us.

We set out to create our own career center with in-house vocational training and employment opportunities for our students. The most exciting aspect of this facility is the creation of a fully functional coffee shop, Special Grounds Coffee Co., staffed by many of our special needs high school students. This amazing coffee shop provides customers with a warm and inviting environment to come and enjoy coffee with their friends and family. It also features a drive-up window for those wanting coffee on the go.

We are so excited at the amazing opportunities this facility provides to our students and individuals with disabilities in our community.

Special Grounds Coffee Co. hand-roasts green coffee beans locally to ensure fresh, rich flavors while blending cultures and tastes of the world into each cup.

In addition to providing much needed vocation experience to individuals with disabilities, profits from Special Grounds Coffee Co. are invested back into mission organizations, both locally and in the countries where our coffee was grown.

Our desire is to support mission projects that meet physical needs for families like clean water and a safe place to live. These organizations are also able to minister to families in their time of need and for years after.

With Special Grounds Coffee, you are able to support missions while enjoying some of the best coffee in the world.

Please visit the website for Special Grounds Coffee to learn more about about this exciting new vocational endeavor.