Former Wales internationals Lee Byrne, Shane Williams, Mike Phillips, and James Hook have launched a coffee business called FabFour Coffee. The quartet, who earned a combined 308 caps for Wales and 10 Lions appearances, started the venture in 2020 after retiring from professional rugby.
Byrne, a full-back who played a key role in Wales' 2008 Grand Slam, said the business was as much about maintaining their friendship as about entrepreneurship. 'When we finished playing, we went from spending all our time together to going our separate ways, and we just wanted that shared interest to pull us back together again,' he said in 2020.
The company, which supports charity partner Velindre, has expanded to include cakes. Phillips stepped down from his role in 2023, but the remaining partners continue to promote their own coffee blend, Lee's XV, described as having undertones of apricot and nectarine with a dark chocolate finish.
Byrne, who scored 10 tries in 46 caps and also played for the British and Irish Lions in 2009, retired in 2015 due to a shoulder problem. He expressed satisfaction with his career, saying he had 'fulfilled all my rugby ambitions.'
