Fresh Idea COFFEE TALK

Some of life’s best ideas happen when in the company of friends and family. That’s exactly how a locally based brand of organic tequila seltzer came to be. A few years back, husband-and-wife duo Ryne and Paige Iseminger were enjoying a group excursion to Mexico. One day, while desiring a refreshing cocktail but short on ingredients in the kitchen, Ryne grabbed was what close at hand—tequila, limes, agave nectar and sparkling water. The concoction was an instant hit and the couple were soon mixing up fresh pitchers for backyard barbecues and family dinners. Today, that homemade libation has morphed into Freshie, a canned cocktail that is produced at a distillery in Jalisco, Mexico, and is offered in three flavors including lime, grapefruit guava and blood orange habañero.

At Bitty & Beau’s, the next latte poured it is more than just a cup of coffee. Each hot beverage is a way for people with disabilities to be valued, accepted, and included. Actually, for some, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee shops are human rights movements disguised as coffee shops. Ben and Amy Wright opened their first store in Wilmington, North Carolina, in January 2016. They have since franchised and established 19 stores across the country— including one in Jax, which opened in November of last year.

“San Marco provided the perfect combination of its thriving local community and year-round visitors,” says Amy. The owners of the local shop are husband-and-wife Howard White and Lissie Hurst. Lissie is a Bolles School grad, a former special education teacher, and a mother of a 16-year-old son, Trip, who has autism.

Lissie had followed Bitty & Beau’s on social media for years and she dreamed of operating a place just like it for Trip and others with IDDs (intellectual and developmental disabilities), or as she says, “different abilities.” Once the company began offering franchises, Lissie told Howard, “We have to do this. We need this and Jacksonville needs this!” And now it has it. u