Beans-and-Bites

10/14/2026

🧁 Happy National Dessert Day! Seems like a good excuse to talk about Saturday’s cupcakes… as if we needed one. 🤎

To everyone who picked up a sweet treat at the Beans-and-Bites fundraiser at Babe’s Tap: thank you for putting your sweet tooth to work for a good cause!

Every cupcake purchased helped bring meaningful employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (and opening our doors) a little closer.

Now, let’s hear the reviews! 👇
🧁 Which flavor did you try?
🤎 What was your favorite?
😏 Did you share, or was that never really on the table?

Drop your cupcake review in the comments. Compliments to the baker are always welcome!

10/14/2026

☕ Familiar faces. Different backgrounds. One shared mission.

Whether you’ve known them for years or are meeting them for the first time, we’d like to (re)introduce the people helping Beans-and-Bites move toward opening our doors!

Our board brings together experience in education, business, community service, and disability employment... and a shared belief that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve meaningful opportunities to learn, work and contribute.

We’re also celebrating the founding board members who helped turn an idea into a mission our community continues to rally behind. Behind every profile is a personal reason for serving. Swipe through to meet these folks and hear, in their own words, why Beans-and-Bites matters to them.

Their time, heart, and commitment (along with this community’s continued support) are bringing Beans-and-Bites closer to opening day. Every bit of support helps get those doors open! ☕

Which members do you know and which are you just meeting?

10/13/2026

☕🤎 A huge THANK YOU to BABES TAP and everyone who spent part of your Saturday with Beans-and-Bites! Whether you came to eat, made a donation, bought 50/50 tickets, picked up cupcakes, or simply joined in the fun, you helped make the afternoon something special.

Once things started rolling, we didn’t get nearly as many pictures as we’d hoped. Consider that a testament to the great company we kept... we were too busy enjoying the afternoon with all of you! 📸😂

Together, you helped raise around $2,100, bringing Beans-and-Bites that much closer to opening its doors and creating meaningful employment and life-skill opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Couldn’t make it Saturday but still want to kick in? There’s still a way to be part of the progress:
🤎 https://gofund.me/f7c63e5ea

Thank you for helping turn this community’s kindness into opportunity. Drop your pics in the comments and tag your friends! Let’s get those doors open! ☕🤎

10/10/2026

50/50 winning ticket pull @ today's fundraiser at Babes Tap !

10/09/2026

🧁 The cupcakes are ready. Now we just need YOU!

Join us tomorrow, October 10, from 11 AM to 5 PM at Babe’s Tap for good food, live music, and a little something sweet... all to support Beans-and-Bites! ☕💛

Babe’s Tap is generously donating 25% of dine-in and carryout sales during that time to help us move closer to opening our doors.

Here’s what’s waiting for you:

🧁 Cupcakes ... save room for dessert or take some home!
🎶 Bret & Frisk playing acoustic hits from the ’70s through today, 2–5 PM
🎟️ A 50/50 raffle
🍻 A Busch Light bar on the patio, with Beans-and-Bites serving and accepting tips and donations (also 2-5 PM)

Every meal, treat, tip, and donation helps us create meaningful employment and opportunities to build life skills for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Come hungry, bring a friend, and help us pack Babe’s Tap for a great cause. Supporting the mission never tasted so sweet! 🧁

10/09/2026

☕️What does a donation to Beans-and-Bites actually do? ☕️

It helps us move closer to opening a place where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can build job skills, connect with our community and find meaningful work.

The graphic shows some of the needs we’re working toward, from everyday supplies and training materials to equipment for the space. A gift of any size helps us make progress.

Donate today! https://gofund.me/d1401d50e

If giving isn’t possible today, sharing this post helps more people around Grundy County learn why Beans-and-Bites exists. 💛

10/07/2026

Hey, , don't forget to come see us on Saturday at Babes Tap for our fundraiser. Let's get this cafe opened up! Bring along a friend or two (or three), eat some delicious food, have some cold drinks, and hear some good tunes! Can't make it out? Help us spread the word so others can!

☕Good food, live music, and a chance to support Beans-and-Bites at Babe’s Tap! 🎶

Join us October 10th from 11 AM to 5 PM. Babe’s Tap will generously donate 25% of dine-in and carryout sales during that time to Beans-and-Bites to help push us across the finish line to opening.

Bret & Frisk will play acoustic hits from the ’70s through today from 2 to 5 PM. We’ll also have baked treats for sale, a 50/50 raffle, and a Busch Light bar on the patio, where Beans-and-Bites will be serving and accepting tips and donations.

Every bit of support helps us work toward meaningful employment and life-skill opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Come hungry, bring a friend, and help us fill Babe’s Tap for a great cause!

10/06/2026

🧁 Meet the Founder: Brittany Cochran

Brittany’s dream started with a love of baking. While studying Culinary Arts at Joliet Junior College, she discovered another passion that would shape what that dream became.

Teaching cooking and sanitation skills to students with disabilities showed her how rewarding it could be to help someone learn, create, and share something they were proud of. It never felt like just a job. But Brittany kept thinking about what came next. After school ended, where could those students put their skills to work?

Her vision grew into an inclusive bakery where learning could lead to meaningful employment... and where employees and customers could share the joy of a delicious bite.

When she met Kris Sayers, their dreams lined up. Together, they’re building Beans-and-Bites around good food, opportunity, and belonging.

❤️ Help us turn that shared dream into open doors. Follow Beans-and-Bites, spread the word, and support our journey!

10/06/2026

☕ Meet the Founder: Kris Sayers

For Kris, the heart behind Beans-and-Bites starts with her Uncle Jim. James “Jimmy” Conner was a talented artist who loved drawing wildlife and spent years working in the maintenance department at St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator. Born in 1924, he faced a world that too often excluded people with disabilities. His life helped Kris see what matters: a person’s talents, potential, and opportunity to belong.

That inspiration grew through her experiences with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Greeley School. Their joy and enthusiasm stayed with her... and so did her desire to make a difference.

Today, Kris is turning that lifelong purpose into Beans-and-Bites alongside co-founder Brittany Cochran: a place where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can build skills, find meaningful work, and connect with their community.

❤️ A personal “why.” A shared dream. A community invited to help bring it to life.

Share this page to help others be part of what we’re building!

10/02/2026

As we prep the final stages before opening, let’s settle something very important: What’s your coffee personality? ☕️

🖤 Black coffee. Keep it simple.
🍬 Sweet. Because coffee should taste like a treat.
🍂 Seasonal everything. If it tastes like fall or Christmas, you’re ordering it.
🥐 Mostly here for the pastries. Coffee is just your cover story.

Vote in the comments, then tag the person you’re going to bring to Beans-and-Bites!