A Pack Mule Helped Start An Idaho Coffee Company Now Selling Products In 12 States

Pack mules aren't something you might immediately associate with the state of Idaho, but the area actually has a strong history with pack trains, which were often utilized to bring supplies to rural mountainous areas. In fact, the Forest Service still uses mules to access Idaho's backcountry today. There's even a very successful local coffee company named after the hardworking animals — and it wouldn't have even gotten its start without them.

Café Mulé is a Boise-based business that ships freshly roasted coffee to over 12 states. The brand is a part of an umbrella network called Iron Mule, which includes Café Mulé, Draft Mule, and Ironside Roasting Co. The company was formed by the founder of Café Mulé, Matt Bishop, and Colin Seeley, who set up Ironside. The business partners joined together in 2018, and they've been unstoppable since.

You might recognize their bags of coffee because of the unique design, which often includes a sketch of a mule. This is because of Bishop's unique history with the animals, who helped him set up his business. A former Marine Corps Officer, Bishop learned about the power of connecting with people through hot cups of tea and coffee while on duty in Iraq. He wanted to bring that home with him to help build connections and get people outdoors in rural Idaho. But if he wanted to move equipment around backcountry, there was only one way to do it.

Bishop found a mule named Richard, as well as some portable coffee equipment and a trailer, through Craigslist and hit the road — or dirt path. He would set up a makeshift station along the various trails in the Boise Foothills and give out free coffee to bikers and hikers passing by in the hopes of building a new community and inspiring people to get outside.

The trail services, as they were known, soon gained a following, and Bishop was eventually approached by Whole Foods about bottling his cold brew coffee. In 2017, he met Seeley, and they began building Iron Mule together. They've increased their revenue tenfold since, and now run a seven-person team who roast coffee for hundreds of locations around the region. However, the trail services still run every so often in the summer, and the coffee remains free at the events. Unfortunately, Richard passed away in 2014, but Bishop has a new mule named Scotty, as well as a rescue named Eugene. 

The mules remain key to the trail services, and they also serve as inspiration for Café Mulé's line of packaged coffee. The coffee can be purchased in many large grocery stores and coffee shops around the Midwest, and there are three different roasts available. If you want to try it out, just keep an eye out for the mule symbol next time you're scanning the shelves.