SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Cole Hauser, best known for his role as Rip in the hit TV series, Yellowstone, has something new brewing in the heart of West Texas.
Heartthrob lead ranchhand, Rip Wheeler, in Yellowstone took the world by storm winning the hearts of viewers everywhere. One thing to note about Rip is he was hardly ever seen in the show without a hot cup of joe and now the actor behind the character has launched a cowboy-themed coffee company in Texas.
“I’m proud to announce that I’ve decided to start a coffee company inspired by these men and women who wake up before the dawn,” said Free Rein Coffee on behalf of Hauser, “Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. Free Rein is for anyone who gets up and works like a cowboy, gets up and chases a dream, or gets up and just feels like having a damn good cup of coffee. “
Free Rein Coffee was founded by Hauser and his three friends Karl Pfluger, Aron Marquez, and Paul Anderson, ‘on the pursuit of the American dream’. Together they wanted to create a coffee brand that embodied the spirit of the West, the spirits he saw in the lives of hardworking cowboys.
Free Rein Coffee’s name was inspired by the term ‘free rein’ which is a type of hold on a horse’s lead that allows the animal to have free will and choose its own speed and direction. Similarly, the brand wishes to embody that same spirit of freedom and possibility in its coffee.
They scoured West Texas for a roaster with deep roots in the frontier, wanting to roast locally in small batches in the USA. Together they found the Deckers, a family located in San Angelo, Texas who has been roasting coffee for over 25 years. The four friends decided to bring the family’s West Texas heritage, know-how, and entrepreneurship wherever dreams are being made. They purchased the San Angelo coffee shop, Longhorn Coffee Co, in 2022 and officially began their rebranding and expansion in Fall 2023.
“It’s a real honor to be here, to know where it all started,” said Hauser at a brand event in San Angelo Texas,” You always have to start with the roots.”
Currently, the brand offers merch and six different blends of coffee; American Dirt, a dark roast and Hausers signature blend; Prospect, a light roast; Branded, a spiced roast; Mesteno, a colombian supremo; Heavy Spur, a medium roast and Homestead, a medium roast. Their coffee is available in whole beans, ground beans, and single-serve pods.
Hauser is a board member of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and so the company is donating a portion of the proceeds of their sales to support the families of the fallen and severely wounded.
“I hope this company and its message inspires men and women from all walks of life to get up and chase after their dreams and ambitions,” said Hauser on social media.
While Free Rein Coffee does not currently ship internationally they plan to in the future.
