Black Rifle Coffee Company

Black Rifle Coffee Company

Company type	Public
Industry	Coffee
Founded	December 2014 (2014-12)
Founder	Evan Hafer
Headquarters	Salt Lake City , United States
Area served	United States, Canada
Key people	Evan Hafer (Founder and Executive Chairman), Darren Weeks (CEO, Canada division)
Products	Coffee, coffee subscriptions, coffee merchandise, canned ready-to-drink iced coffee
Number of employees	550 (2021)
Website	blackriflecoffee.com

Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) is a coffee enterprise headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Established in 2014 by Evan Hafer, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, the company gained widespread recognition in 2017 after committing to employ 10,000 veterans in reaction to Starbucks's announcement to hire 10,000 refugees.

History

BRCC was launched in December 2014 by Evan Hafer, initially offering limited quantities of its "Freedom Roast" coffee via a friend's apparel website. Following robust demand, Hafer created a dedicated brand and website centered on coffee products and branded merchandise. The firm focuses on an online, direct-to-consumer coffee subscription service, which had surpassed 100,000 subscribers by 2020. Beyond e-commerce, BRCC runs brick-and-mortar cafes across Utah, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Montana, and Tennessee. Its offerings are also stocked at select firing ranges, 5.11 Tactical outlets, and Bass Pro Shops.

In 2017, BRCC extended its operations into Canada with a division headquartered in Alberta under CEO Darren Weeks. The following year, it inaugurated a new roasting facility in Manchester, Tennessee with a $6 million investment and introduced Coffee or Die Magazine—an online publication dedicated to military, veteran affairs, law enforcement, and coffee culture. That year, the company reported gross revenues of $30 million. By 2019, BRCC employed more than 200 individuals—40% of whom were veterans—and its products reached 1,700 retail locations nationwide. On September 29, 2019, it opened its first standalone licensed café in Boerne, Texas. Around 2021, the workforce had grown to roughly 550 employees, with half being veterans or members of military families.

In 2020, BRCC launched canned ready-to-drink iced coffee beverages and initiated a coffee donation campaign to support frontline medical workers and military personnel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A Canadian firearms ban initially thought to impact BRCC was later clarified as pertaining to an unrelated Arizona-based company with a similar name.

A July 2021 New York Times feature highlighted Hafer’s strategy to expand franchised stores managed by retired military non-commissioned officers (NCOs), aiming to create career pathways beyond conventional law enforcement roles for Navy petty officers and Army staff sergeants.

SPAC

In November 2021, Black Rifle Coffee Company combined with SilverBox Engaged Merger Corporation through a special-purpose acquisition company transaction to secure capital for growth and become a publicly traded entity. The business was valued at around $1.7 billion. This merger finalized in February 2022, marking BRCC’s debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

Politics

Black Rifle Coffee Company’s branding emphasizes its conservative political stance and commitment to veteran employment, with over half its workforce being former military personnel as of 2018.

The company promotes a pro-military, pro-gun, and pro-police identity while openly endorsing former President Donald Trump’s policies—including a blog post supporting his immigration ban proposal that was later removed. This political positioning has drawn attention from conservative media outlets like Fox News and endorsements from personalities such as Sean Hannity and Donald Trump Jr.

In 2021, BRCC attempted to dissociate itself from "the far-right" following the appearance of its logos on Kyle Rittenhouse—who was acquitted for shootings during a Black Lives Matter protest—and among participants involved in the January 6 Capitol attack.

Marketing

Black Rifle Coffee Company's identity is deeply intertwined with its pro-firearm stance, socially conservative values, and strong affiliations with U.S. military personnel and law enforcement agencies.

In 2017, BRCC initiated a campaign aiming to employ 10,000 veterans, strategically launched as a response to Starbucks' commitment to hire 10,000 refugees. This effort gained traction through a viral meme contrasting American servicemembers with images of ISIS militants holding Starbucks cups, positioning BRCC as a veteran-centered alternative. Although Starbucks had already onboarded 8,000 veterans since 2013 via a comparable program, BRCC at that time employed only 52 individuals, with veterans constituting 75% of the workforce. Founder Evan Hafer highlighted the ambitious scale of BRCC's objective given its smaller size and expressed support for all constructive hiring efforts.

In July 2019, the company introduced a promotional initiative donating a bag of coffee to police officers for every bag sold, following an incident in which six Tempe, Arizona police officers were asked to leave a Starbucks outlet.

BRCC chose not to adopt a logo depicting Saint Michael the Archangel armed with a rifle after concerns arose about its potential misuse by white supremacist groups.

The brand sponsors NASCAR competitors including Ty Dillon, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, and Matt Crafton. Within the American Rally Association, drivers supported by BRCC such as Travis Pastrana and Dave Carapetyan race under the Black Rifle Coffee Motor Sports Team banner. Pastrana entered into a personal endorsement agreement with BRCC in 2022 after concluding his partnership with Red Bull; the two had previously collaborated on a rally car stunt in 2018. Additional sponsored athletes include off-road racer BJ Baldwin and professional skateboarder Bucky Lasek.

In July 2022, the Dallas Cowboys received criticism for announcing a partnership with BRCC shortly after the Highland Park parade shooting on Independence Day. Black Rifle clarified that the agreement had been arranged well in advance and that the timing of the announcement was coincidental.

Founder and Executive Chairman Evan Hafer appeared as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on November 15, 2024.

See also

• List of coffee companies