Kicking Horse Coffee, born in a garage in Invermere, B.C. 30 years ago and still roasted in Canada, recently launched Cool Mule: its first-ever blend built specifically for cold brew and iced coffee. A medium roast developed from the ground up to shine cold, with notes of peach, milk chocolate, and nectar.
100% Fairtrade and certified organic, roasted right here, and the fastest-growing Canadian coffee brand since 2024. Their newest blend Cool Mule is available now nationally at Costco and at kickinghorsecoffee.ca for $36.99, a limited-time summer release.
In an interview with Retail Insider, Melanie Smith, Senior Marketing Director, Innovation, talked about the company.
Question: What drove the decision to launch Cool Mule as Kicking Horse Coffee’s first blend specifically designed for cold brew and iced coffee, and why now?
Answer: Cold coffee is one of the fastest-growing segments in Canadian coffee. We know coffee drinkers, especially younger ones, love an iced coffee in the afternoon and it’s an occasion we haven’t historically had an option for. That’s a massive opportunity, and we weren’t going to half-ass it. Cool Mule is our first whole bean blend that is specifically crafted for cold. It’s a medium roast with balanced acidity, so the sweetness – peach, milk chocolate, syrupy nectar tasting notes – comes through when it’s cold-brewed.
Q: How does Cool Mule fit into Kicking Horse Coffee’s broader product and growth strategy, particularly as consumer demand for cold coffee continues to evolve?
A: Cool Mule is the centerpiece of our summer strategy and our fourth seasonal limited edition offering. These seasonal releases have become a real part of how we grow the brand and bring new consumers in. We’re the fastest-growing Canadian coffee brand since 2024, bringing in 1.5 million incremental consumers, and new occasions including cold coffee is where we see the next wave of growth coming from. It’s a huge and growing segment, especially with younger drinkers. Cool Mule is our way into that occasion, especially during the warmer months when we know cold coffee consumption peaks.
Q: The brand has been roasted in Canada for 30 years. How important is the ‘Made in Canada’ aspect of the business in today’s retail environment, and has consumer interest in Canadian products changed recently?
A: We’ve been roasting in Invermere, British Columbia for 30 years. We started in a garage in the Rockies, and we’re still there, employing over 150 Canadians coast to coast. Consumer interest in Canadian products has absolutely increased, but for us it’s how we’ve always operated.
We’re actually hiring nearly 40 new people at our Invermere facility by the end of this year, which is about a 25% increase in our workforce, so we have no plans of slowing down!
Q: Costco is a major national retail partner for this launch. What role do large-format retailers play in your distribution strategy, and how do you balance that with direct-to-consumer sales through your website?
A: Cool Mule is a milestone for us, in that it’s the first seasonal limited edition offering we’ve launched nationally at Costco. That matters even more right now because more Canadians are brewing coffee at home.
National distribution at Costco puts us in front of those consumers inmarkets where we’re actively growing. Direct-to-consumer plays a different role – that’s where we build the direct relationship with our consumers. We launched both channels at the same time on purpose: Costco gets us reach in new markets, DTC keeps us tight with the people who already know us.
Q: Kicking Horse Coffee says it has been the fastest-growing Canadian coffee brand since 2024. What factors have been driving that growth, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for expansion going forward?
A: We’re hellbent on being Fairtrade and organic, and that commitment is exactly what’s driving our growth. We’ve grown household penetration by 3.9 points and brought in 1.5 million incremental consumers. Looking ahead, cold coffee is one of our biggest opportunities. It’s where younger consumers already are, and it’s an occasion we haven’t owned yet. Building further into Eastern Canada is the other big lever.
We’ve got a strong foothold out West, and Cool Mule launching nationally at Costco is a meaningful step into growing our brand in the East.
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