Lost Horse Coffee raises money for suicide prevention

Lost Horse Coffee is celebrating the birthday of Travis Amason, the business’ founder, with a special menu February 27 through March 4. A dollar from every drink that is sold will be donated to To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing suicide by providing free mental healthcare. 

Mr. Amason opened Lost Horse Coffee last February and committed suicide in November. Tonya Amason, his wife, is carrying on running the truck in his honor. Cael Amason, their 15-year-old son, also works in the truck, which serves specialty tea, matcha and coffee options. 

Travis Amason had a passion for coffee and made the decision to leave his job at Tesla in November of 2023 to pursue his dream of opening a coffee business. He got a job at 309 Coffee, started taking coffee classes and built out the trailer himself. 

“Everyone knows tech is just a really hard industry and [Tesla is] a hard company to work for. He was working like 80 plus hours a week, and he just got burnt out, and it just wasn't his passion,” Ms. Amason said.

Mr. Amason named the business ‘Lost Horse Coffee’ as a reference to the first date he had with his wife, hiking the Lost Horse Mine Trail in Joshua Tree National Park. Lost Horse is also an ancient Chinese adage about a man who loses his horse, Ms. Amason explained. The adage suggests that when things appear bad, luck comes. 

“When he passed, we had a ton of community that came around and really supported myself and our son. I think that community was built through the trailer and through coffee, so it's been very cool,” Ms. Amason said emotionally. A couple of the baristas Mr. Amason worked at 309 Coffee with now work at Lost Horse Coffee. “It's just like a special thing to have this community that’s kind of formed and circled around the trailer. And that's really what he loved about it too— serving the people he knew and stuff.”

The trailer is parked in the parking lot of Parmer Ranch park at 1000 Garrett Oaks Lane, which has a play structure, ziplines and paved trails for the public to use. Ms. Amason said it's a perfect place to bring kids. 

Lost Horse Coffee will be open for business in the Parmer Ranch park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on February 28 and March 2-4. Their regular business hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.