In January 2020, with the grace of Austin angel investors, Cantu and Murphy launched their first cans onto the local market. We wanted to make sure that the product that we made could be enjoyed by everyone for an extended period of time,” Cantu told CNBC, adding that a canned product gave them flexibility to pursue e-commerce sales as well as deals with health-focused grocery stores like Whole Foods. In order to keep up with demand, the two found themselves brainstorming ways they could continue to scale the happy accident of a potential booze business. “We satisfied a lot of unknown consumer demand for something that was not beer, but that also wasn’t spiked seltzer.” “I think we kind of hit a nerve,” Cantu explained of the relative quick success. in the morning, go buy food, cook that day and then head to class and do it all over again on very little sleep,” Cantu recounted, explaining that the two launched the business while completing a full-course load of UT’s demanding MBA program.Īs requests surged for the meals prepared aboard the affectionately dubbed “Ranch Hand” food truck, Cantu and Murphy expanded the business to include an offering of handmade cocktails. Equipped with the basics of business, Cantu and Murphy launched their first venture - a food truck that offered healthier options to the students on the sprawling UT campus. “I think that we were just really hungry to learn new skills outside of class and outside of our previous careers,” Cantu told CNBC. Thirsting for a career change he enrolled at University of Texas McCombs Business School where he struck a friendship with Murphy.

Ranch Rider Spirits offers four distinctly Texan craft cocktails void of preservatives and additives in simple 12-ounce cans.Ĭantu, a Texas-native, put in a 6-year stint in Washington, D.C., working in politics before leaving for the Lone Star State in 2016. Ranch Rider Spirits’ cocktail line is about as Texan as you can get.īuilt and bred in the vibrant heart of Austin, Texas, the canned cocktails are the tradecraft of co-founders Quentin Cantu and Brian Murphy.

Ranch rider spirits