Founders Cora Mitchell, Henry Hawks, and Charlie Hawks grew up in Wyoming, USA, where ranch isn’t just a condiment, it’s a culture. After moving to Melbourne, they were surprised by what sometimes passed for ranch on Australian shelves. So, naturally, they started a brand.
Lone Star Ranch is an Australian-made ranch dressing built to the standard they grew up with. Here’s Mitchell with the lowdown.
Explain like we’re five: how do you make it?
At the most basic level, ranch is a mixture of mayo and another tangy dairy, usually buttermilk, herbs and acid. I’d tell you more but that would give away our secrets. We worked with a food scientist to take our at-home recipe and turn it into something shelf-stable and scalable. It took months of testing and tweaking, and lots of ranch was consumed. The Vegan version swaps the dairy for a plant-based foundation and honestly holds up surprisingly well. Both version are the same price, because we don’t think eating differently should cost you extra.
Give us the elevator pitch. What makes your ranch special?
Ranch in Australia has historically been a bit of a disaster. Lone Star Ranch is ranch done properly: creamy, tangy, and actually worth putting on everything. Made in Australia, bottled in glass, and just as good for dunking a chicken tender as it is drizzled over a salad. We do a vegan version, too.
Who are you and what are you all about?
I’m Cora, American by birth, Melburnian by choice. I co-founded Lone Star Ranch with Charlie Hawks (my partner) and Henry Hawks (my childhood friend, and Charlie’s brother). I moved to Melbourne six years ago and have spent most of my career in the creative and advertising world.
Growing up in Wyoming, food and hospitality were always part of life. My dad owned restaurants, and he used to joke that the day he started charging extra for sides of ranch was the day I got a college fund. So really, Lone Star is just me putting that education back into the ranch business.
As obsessed as I am with ranch, I’m equally obsessed with brand building. After years working in creative industries, getting to combine the two has been the most exciting part of this whole thing. Charlie is a commercial photographer and Henry is a designer, architect, and all-round weapon, so building something from scratch together, and creating a whole visual world around it, has been incredibly fun.
So why are you the people to do this?
We grew up with ranch. We know what it’s supposed to taste like, we know what it’s supposed to feel like, and we know how delicious it is. We live in Melbourne because Australia does a lot of things better: the food culture, the produce, the way people eat and gather. We’re not here to transplant something wholesale from America, we’re here because we genuinely love this place and understand how Australians eat.
Lone Star isn’t an American product that happened to get made in Australia. It’s Ranch made by people who understand both sides. What makes the original worth replicating, and what needs to translate for it to actually land here.
What excites you about this project?
Honestly? The fact that it is not (yet) an Australian staple. It’s one of the most beloved condiments in the world and the local offering has been, to be kind, underwhelming. There’s something genuinely exciting about introducing a product that people know and have been missing, or have never properly tried and are about to become obsessed with.
But beyond the product itself, building something in Melbourne. The eating, dining and creative scene here is genuinely unmatched. There’s a density of brilliant chefs, brands and creatives in this city who are doing things that wouldn’t happen anywhere else, and the idea of Lone Star finding its place in that world – on the tables, in the kitchens, in the collaborations – is something I find really exciting. We’re not just launching a condiment, we’re trying to become a part of how people eat here.
What are the perfect conditions to enjoy Lone Star Ranch?
Good company, something on the grill, something dippable, and some fresh tunes. Ideally somewhere warm. A crisp wine wouldn’t hurt. Realistically though: a Tuesday night, whatever’s in the fridge, dipping, dressing, dunking. Ranch is democratic.
And what does Lone Star pair best with?
Chicken. Always chicken. But also: pizza, crudités, fries, anything that comes off a barbecue, grain bowls, anything that comes out of a fryer, roasted vegetables, salad, a burger, a sandwich, a wrap, fish and chips, or leftover anything.
Is there anything that can’t be improved by a splash of Lone Star?
We’ve thought about this seriously and the answer is: probably not? We’d encourage experimentation.
Is this here for a good time or a long time?
Both. We want Lone Star Ranch to become a household name. The kind of product that permanently earns a spot in everyone’s fridge. We’ve got big plans, and we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
What’s next for Lone Star?
More stockists, more cities, more ranch on more tables. We’re in the middle of building out our Melbourne independent grocer network, and hope to expand to national distribution. Our next product will be a larger format designed for hospitality venues. Beyond that, new flavours, spices, collabs, our idea list is endless. We are building a ranch, so lots of opportunities to build that world. We’re not in a hurry, but we’re not slowing down either.
Where can I buy it?
Online at lonestarranch.com.au, and in Melbourne at a growing list of independent grocers. Check our website or Instagram @ranch.lonestar for the current list of stockists.
Lone Star Ranch, available at select independent grocery stores and online at lonestar-ranch.co. Follow along for more at @ranch.lonestar.