In a tribute to veterans, Walmart and Free Rein Coffee, co-founded by actor and veteran advocate Cole Hauser, hosted a special coffee giveaway event on Capitol Hill as part of Walmart’s annual U.S. Manufacturing Fly-In and aimed to honor veterans while spotlighting Walmart’s commitment to American-made goods.

The giveaway took place at the Capitol Complex, where veterans were treated to complimentary coffee from Free Rein Coffee. The event underscored Walmart’s dedication to supporting U.S. manufacturing and its partnerships with suppliers like Free Rein Coffee, which is deeply connected to the veteran community.

Cole Hauser, Co-Founder of Free Rein Coffee, who is best known for his role as Rip in the popular TV series Yellowstone, served coffee to veterans throughout the morning. During the event, Hauser said, “I have been doing everything I can to raise awareness for veterans, first responders, police, teachers, nurses… and I built this company with that in mind. To be here with veterans and with Walmart, with Free Rein and all those of you who are here today, it’s a dream come true, full circle.”

Melody Richard, SVP of Merchandising at Walmart, highlighted the company’s ongoing commitment to U.S. manufacturing. “We made a commitment in 2021 to continue to grow Made in USA with $350 billion. And we are continuing to grow our Made in USA commitment,” Richard said. “Most people don’t know that over two-thirds of what we sell at Walmart comes here from the United States and 60% of our suppliers, like Free Rein, are small businesses. Today is a celebration of small businesses, it’s a celebration of Made in USA, and it’s a celebration of veterans.”

Sean Corrigan, Colonel, USA (Ret.) and Executive Vice President of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, also spoke at the event on behalf of the veterans’ organization. “Our primary mission is education funding for the children of fallen special operations warriors and the children of all Medal of Honor recipients,” said Corrigan. “We could not keep that promise to those kids without companies like Free Rein and companies like Walmart.”

Rye Barcott, Veteran U.S. Marines and Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor, also praised the power of corporate partnerships, saying, “Walmart’s been a great partner of With Honor, which helps veterans serve again across party lines, with integrity, civility and the courage to actually be bipartisan at a difficult time.”

Walmart’s annual fly-in honors the company’s 40-year American manufacturing legacy. During the fly-in, 16 Walmart suppliers and executives, including John Furner, President & CEO of Walmart U.S., met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss Walmart’s commitment to sourcing products made, grown or assembled in the U.S. In line with this commitment, applications for Walmart’s 12th annual Open Call, a nationwide pitch event for U.S. entrepreneurs, open June 24. As part of that initiative, last month, 29 small businesses pitched their products to Walmart leaders in Baltimore for a chance to attend the main Open Call event. Walmart invited 15 of those entrepreneurs, many of which are based in the greater DMV area, to showcase their American-made products at the company’s headquarters at this year’s Open Call later this year.

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