Dauntless Soul grinds through move, road construction, renovation

Matthew Day

Staff

June 1, 2026

OMRO – Much has “bean” happening with Dauntless Soul Brew Co. since the coffee venture was first featured by The Business News in its Jan. 24, 2025 issue. 

At that time, Owner LaRae Simonis said Dauntless Soul was operating at a semi-permanent location in Omro in addition to a brick-and-mortar coffee shop in Redgranite. 

Both locations, she said, continued to prosper, with customers especially enjoying the cold-brew coffee and Lotus energy drinks – called Dauntless Fusions – “a fruity refresher that has a plant-based energy in them.” 

“Those are probably some fan favorites,” she said. “Then we do new specials every month. People seem to really enjoy the change up, because things can get kind of boring after a while.” 

The Omro operation itself, Simonis said, has also experienced its share of change. 

There, she said Dauntless Soul served beverages from its customized coffee trailer in a courtyard located at 130 E. Main St. 

Eager to move into a more permanent storefront, Simonis said everything appeared to be on track for her to purchase the neighboring building toward the end of 2025. 

“We kind of had a plan in place for that,” she said. “Then, unfortunately, the gentleman who owned that building passed away.”  

Though still hoping to purchase the building through the estate, Simonis said the plans fell through amid the unexpected ensuing bidding war. 

Suddenly, not only would Dauntless Soul not be moving into the building next to where it operated, but she said her business was given a very short window – “about 30 days” – to vacate the courtyard. 

Simonis said thankfully she was able to secure a new space within Omro, at 113 Alder Ave., and thanks to “a lot of late nights and a lot of help from our teammates and from family,” the space was renovated, inspected and open for business as of Dec. 22. 

“It was quick,” she said. “Either we had to get that done, or we were going to be basically pushed out of business, so we had to figure something out… It was a very stressful time, but we made it work, and we’re happy where we’re at now.” 

More renovations, locations brewing 

Simonis said customers welcomed Dauntless Soul’s December move, especially the addition of an indoor space, since the business previously operated solely from an outdoor trailer.

“Now, they have a spot to hang out inside,” she said. “We also have a drive-thru and a lot better parking.”

Despite enthusiasm for the new indoor location, Simonis said customers miss the courtyard’s outdoor atmosphere, which had regularly hosted events and provided ample outdoor seating. 

“This location doesn’t really have that, [but] there’s an area we can make into an outdoor patio,” she said.

Simonis said customers rallied behind the expedited relocation effort, raising roughly $20,000 in a short time through the purchase of discounted gift cards.

For the additional patio renovations, she said she applied for grant funding, however, Dauntless Soul was not selected. 

Undaunted by the financial challenge – exacerbated all the more by the major construction on Omro’s main thoroughfare, Highway 21 – Simonis said she has opted to proceed with a piecemeal approach. 

“A big project that we had planned is just going to be a smaller project for now,” she said, “and we’ll try to build onto it each year to make it that special place everybody misses from our old location.” 

With the Redgranite location holding strong, and with the Dauntless Soul team “happy we finally have a homebase in Omro,” Simonis said she continues considering regional expansion. 

“We’re looking to still find something in Oshkosh,” she said. “I think that’s the next customer base we would really like to serve. We’re keeping our eyes open on that, to see when there’s an opportunity.” 

What makes Dauntless Soul and all its possibilities possible, Simonis said, are its “very supportive” customers. 

“We couldn’t do it without them,” she said. “They definitely go out of their way to support us, above and beyond. It’s more like a family feeling versus a transactional business… We appreciate them very much.” 

For more updates, visit Dauntless Soul Brew Co.’s Facebook page.