We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Vila and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The need for more inclusion in the workforce was the driving force for starting my own business, Our Grounds. My thought,” If there needs to be more opportunities for adults with different abilities in workforce, then I will create more opportunities myself.”

What should our readers know about your business?
Our Grounds is a coffee shop, but we are not just your ordinary coffee shop. We provide adults with ALL abilities opportunities for training and employment, and our staff is quite extraordinary. At Our Grounds, we brew coffee, community and kindness. We hope to inspire more inclusion and kindness in our community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We live in South Florida, and there is so much diversity in our community. Each day I would take them to different a neighborhood; explore and patron locally owned businesses and immerse in different cultures. For example, in The Redlands Homestead area, I would take them to “Robert is Here” and “Isaac Farms”; I love this area and supporting local farmers. I would also take them to Little Havana; there is nothing like spending an afternoon listening to salsa music and eating traditional Cuban Cuisine. So many other areas and restaurants to name, but South Florida is such a wonderful place to live.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The team at Our Grounds is my inspiration. With so many obstacles to overcome, our team members continuously demonstrate perseverance and kindness. They inspire me to keep going even when things are not always easy.

Website: Ourgrounds.org
Instagram: @ourgroundscoffee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurGrounds
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/our-grounds-miami?osq=our+grounds

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