Founders Laura and Greg Jones have spent much of their lives making the world a better place in many ways. Their efforts to include individuals with disabilities began in 2010, when two of their sons were immersed in neighborhood Little League. Around this time they found out a family friend had to drive to another city for her son to play baseball. He needed an accessible program, but no such option existed in Tampa. In response, Greg and Laura started something new in our city: Challenger Baseball, a program that welcomes and accommodates children with disabilities. Greg coached the team, and Laura was heavily involved in all aspects of practices and games. Through Challenger, the Joneses got to know great kids of all abilities and their families. They, and everyone else involved, discovered that inclusion is better for ALL people, not just for those with disabilities.

Fast forward to 2021. The youngsters with disabilities that Greg and Laura had come to know and love through Challenger had grown up. With few job prospects, many were experiencing the isolation that can set in after age 22, when adults with disabilities age out of programs and services they relied on in their youth. The pandemic, of course, had made the situation even worse. The Joneses thought of opening a non-profit coffee shop staffed by people with and without disabilities working together - a coffee shop that would not only provide much needed employment opportunities, but also ease social isolation, build community and show the world that inclusion is best for all. They thought of CUP: Coffee Uniting People. They gathered a team, rolled up their sleeves and went to work to make CUP a reality.