Bee Free Bakes Empowers Young Adults With Autism Through Job Training & Community Impact
When doctors diagnosed Jennifer Wiese’s oldest son with autism in 2007, she and her husband researched how nutrition might help.
“We started looking at food as medicine,” Wiese says.
After learning about gluten-free diets at a conference, they tried store-bought options but found the food tasted terrible. Unwilling to settle, Wiese experimented in the kitchen, reimagining her son’s favorite foods with real, wholesome ingredients. Their efforts transformed not only their household—they changed lives.
What began as homemade gluten-free treats for family and friends soon evolved into Bee Free Bakes, which expanded from local farmers’ markets to become a national brand available in stores like Kroger, Costco, and Meijer.
Yet Bee Free Bakes has always represented more than food for Wiese’s family. As her son grew older, a broader mission emerged, especially when he began seeking employment.
“We watched the challenges young adults with autism face, from preparing for interviews to getting and keeping a job,” Wiese says. “That’s when I realized our business could fill that gap.”
Building from this understanding, Bee Free Bakes now operates a nonprofit training initiative called Warriors at Work, a 10-week paid program that helps young adults with autism and other disabilities gain practical job experience.
“Our trainees earn a paycheck while they learn,” Wiese says. “It reinforces that their time is valuable and helps them build confidence in real-world skills.”
The program combines classroom sessions with hands-on experience. Over the 10-week program, trainees rotate through three main areas: in Bee Free’s Noblesville fulfillment center, they manage inventory and warehouse tasks, in a commercial kitchen, they gain skills in food safety and packaging, and at partnership sites such as local hotels, they focus on hospitality and housekeeping. This structure exposes trainees to a range of real-world job settings.
To maximize impact, Bee Free has forged deep community ties, partnering with Janus Developmental Services, Invest Hamilton County, and the Hamilton County Community Foundation. These partnerships expand opportunities and raise awareness.
“They not only support us with funding but also help share our story,” Wiese says. “Storytelling is everything. If people don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t create change.”
Through these efforts, the impact of Warriors at Work becomes tangible: many graduates move on to jobs in food service or retail with Bee Free’s commercial partners, including Costco and Meijer.
“We want our trainees to go straight from our program into meaningful employment,” Wiese says. “No one should go home and sit on the sofa after working this hard.”
Looking ahead, Wiese hopes Bee Free’s greatest legacy will be reshaping perceptions.
“I want people to see individuals with disabilities differently and to look beyond limitations and recognize their strengths,” she says. “When employers open their eyes to new possibilities, entire communities become more inclusive, more compassionate, and more connected.”
To learn more, get involved, or help shape a more inclusive future in the community, visit beefreebakes.org and join Bee Free’s mission to make lasting change.
