Cool Beans! New Coffee Place at Burton Barr Benefits Autism

Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center cut the ribbon for Beneficial Beans Café inside the Burton Barr Central Library today. The café is a social enterprise business that provides training opportunities for adults with autism spectrum disorder via internships.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center President and CEO Daniel Openden and Burton Barr Central librarian Rita Hamilton were on hand to celebrate the new cafe, which opens Monday.

Beneficial Beans Café will feature a full menu – soup, salad, sandwiches, pastries, plus a variety of refreshments including smoothies, coffee and espresso.

A Beneficial Beans Café opened at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library in 2012 and was initially funded by grants from philanthropic foundations in Arizona. Beneficial Beans’ objective is to provide employability skills for SARRC clients, generate revenue and increase awareness of autism spectrum disorder.