Love Coffee's Origin Story
Chuck Crews & Love INC
In 2017, Chuck Crews approached Jane Williams and Pat McMurry of Love INC of Columbia with a concept of launching a coffee shop for individuals with disabilities. Chuck was inspired by Bitty and Beau’s Coffee in Wilmington, North Carolina, which had recently enjoyed national television coverage.
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Chuck served as a Special Olympics volunteer for years and was frustrated by the fact that many of his athletes, who showed up regularly and made progress in their sport, struggled to find jobs. Chuck’s persistence eventually led to a plan to include a café in Love INC’s thrift shop the Loveseat. (Love INC is now Love Columbia)
Original Love Coffee/Love Seat Team in 2019
​Launching at Business Loop/COVID 19
In February 2020, 17 individuals with disabilities we’re inducted into Love Coffee’s charter Employee team. But unknown then was the Covid pandemic was only one month around the corner. Over the next three years, through temporary shut downs, four different commissary kitchens, changes in general managers, and learning the basics of running operations, Love Coffee was still able to enjoy, “Best Coffee Shop in Columbia, Bronze” honors from inside Columbia magazine.
Dry storage expansion in 2023
Karen Morgan, Micah Baker, Nick Llorens & Victoria Oleski with an early batch of cookies at Columbia Senior Center, (commissary kitchen during COVID)
Love Coffee’s First Kiosk!
2023 also saw the opening of Love Coffee’s first kiosk in Columbia Orthopedic Group. COG provided construction services to remodel a space in their Surgery Center lobby. Local foundations provided the equipment, including, Boone County Community Trust, Stafford Foundation, A.P. Green Foundation, Heinkel Foundation, and Veteran’s United Foundation.
Karen, Sam Neely, Melissa & Elizabeth Bennett at COG Kiosk opening. November 2023.
Melissa Grevenstuk and 2025
Melissa came onboard as a baking assistant in late 2023. She made increasing contributions and showed persistence through several management changes and became General Manager in late 2024. Melissa found her purpose at Love Coffee! She provided a solid management base that allowed significant development and implementation of training program tracking and best practices. Melissa worked tirelessly to increase Love Coffee performance across all operational key performance metrics. In addition she worked with retired Love Columbia staffer and Love Coffee board member Tim Davis to create tracking software to measure and quantify Employee progress across over 100 competencies.
Loop Cafe circa 2019
Chuck Crews
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Love INC, Love Coffee’s Sponsor
Chuck, Jane and Pat collaborated with principles from several employment services providers in Columbia, including Woodhaven, Job Point, Boone County Family Resources, Columbia Public Schools, and others. Informed by these interactions, the basis of a training philosophy was imagined, utilizing a volunteer supported model pioneered by Love INC. Chuck and Dr. Rebecca Llorens provided startup funding and worked with the Love INC team to form a separate 501(c)(3), Love My Job Training Center. The organization was chartered on March 14, 2018.
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Original Love Coffee Team Employees at opening in 2019
Growth Spurt
2023 was a big year for Love Coffee. Baking operations finally moved into a permanent home in the café on the Business Loop. Efforts to formalize Love Coffee’s training program with a view towards providing state contracting services began that same year. Love Coffee received development support from the Veterans United Foundation that was instrumental for this growth.
Karen Morgan
Love Coffee’s training efforts were headed up from the beginning by co founder Karen Morgan, a 25 year Special Education teacher. Karen stepped in to serve as general manager more than once to keep the cafe open. Karen’s commitment to the mission, scrupulous attention to detail, and dogged determination, paid off as Love Coffee was awarded, Best Coffee Shop in Columbia Gold that year!
Dustin Davis, Chuck, Karen and Team at BOC 2023
Love Coffee’s Second Kiosk.
In 2024 Love Coffee received an opportunity to operate an existing but never used kiosk inside Columbia Post-Acute Care on Berrywood Drive. It was an easy decision to make as the facility was nearly fully equipped and the location served as an ideal training location for Employees making a transition to solo staffing of a kiosk. Inside Columbia’s 20 Under 40, 2025 honoree Anna McDaniel made her Assistant Manager debut at the CPA kiosk!
Columbia Post Acute before Love Coffee Kiosk Partnership
Barista Training with Dess Ellz in 2023
Board Member and former Panera Exec Ray Batt discusses product quality with Melissa at COG 2024
Columbia Public Schools Work Experience Class at Love Coffee Partner Camacho Coffee's Rosterie site in 2023
Elijah and Mary exploring the nuances of espresso art.
Love Coffee’s Training Program
Love Coffee’s Path to Purpose training program is Informed by our early collaborations with Columbia employment services providers and by industry best practices. It is a four part track that includes; Initial Assessment, (a work experience partnership with Columbia Public Schools), Initial Transition, (a first job opportunity at the Business Loop Café for graduating highschoolers), Secondary Transition, (advanced job training at a partner kiosk), and Job Search & Placement into Competitive Integrated Employment at Columbia employers.
This program seeks to leverage a Volunteer Assisted Human Capacity Development model, pioneered locally by Love INC and practiced by organizations, like Court Appointed, Special Advocates (CASA), Boys, and Girls Club, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and Others. Love Coffee emphasizes different components of the program as circumstances and opportunities dictate.
​What’s Ahead for 2026
Love Coffee is delighted to be a kiosk partner with the new Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment kiosk opening in 2026. Love Coffee serves as a kiosk consultant and product vendor for the effort. We are looking forward to collaborations to improve service delivery on training efforts, as well as expanding our local profile.
