A coffee shop with a naughty name is coming to Rock Hill. It has Big Island mojo
If the name of Rock Hill’s next coffee shop doesn’t perk up customers, the lineup of Hawaiian-blended coffees, espresso drinks, frozen coffee cubes and breakfast meals ought to do the trick.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii will open next March in The Thread, the company announced Wednesday. The coffee company based in Colorado offers hot and cold drinks like lattes, tea, energy drinks, smoothies, lemonades and hot chocolate.
Breakfast and lunch sandwiches come on King’s Hawaiian sweet bread, including one option featuring an island favorite—Spam. The menu also has baked goods like donuts, bagels, muffins and scones.
Bad Ass Coffee bills itself as an Instagram-worthy experience. The Kona coffees come from trees that grow in mineral-rich volcanic soil in Hawaii, according to the company website. The result is a mild coffee that’s low in acidity, with sweet or fruity notes. Stores also have whole bean and ground coffee.
The more than 2,500-square-foot space joins Sully’s Steamers, Springs Creative and Winthrop University with locations in The Thread.
The 400,000-square-foot historic mill at 220 W. White St. downtown has been transformed into office and retail space.
About Bad Ass Coffee
Bad Ass Coffee began in 1989 on the Big Island of Hawaii. Locations reached the mainland six years later as spots popped up in Utah.
There are now 43 stores in more than a dozen states. A Surfside Beach location is the only spot in the Carolinas, and the only one between St. Augustine Beach, Florida, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Late last year, the company announced plans for three stores in York County to serve the Charlotte market. Exact locations weren’t named.
For customers who want to try Bad Ass Coffee but wonder about the name, there’s a history lesson involved.
The official story has to do with donkeys, according to the company website. Donkeys appear on cups and company branding. Donkeys in Kona, Hawaii, could be heard bellowing as they carried loads of coffee beans down from steep mountains.
Those donkeys became known, according to the company, as “Bad Ass Ones.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 5:34 AM with the headline "A coffee shop with a naughty name is coming to Rock Hill. It has Big Island mojo."
