Black Rifle Coffee Company

Public Political Activity

According to OpenSecrets data, Black Rifle Coffee Company's affiliated employees and individuals contributed approximately $12,282 to federal candidates in the 2024 election cycle.[3] The company itself does not have a registered corporate PAC; the contributions on file are from individual employees and immediate family members. Lobbying expenditures were zero, and outside spending in the 2024 cycle was zero.[3]

CEO Evan Hafer's personal donations skew strongly Republican, with contributions to Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and other right-leaning candidates.[4] Hafer's only documented Democratic contributions are a 2008 donation to Barack Obama and a 2020 contribution to Zach Iscol, a fellow Marine veteran running for New York City Comptroller as a Democrat.[4] Hafer has been clear in interviews that his political support is shaped by veteran identity rather than strict party loyalty.

In 2024, the company drew criticism from parts of its conservative customer base when an analysis of OpenSecrets data showed that some non-executive employees had made donations to ActBlue, the Democratic Party's online fundraising platform.[4] The company has not issued a formal response to the controversy, and Hafer's public posture has historically been that the company hires for veteran status and competence rather than political alignment.

Public Positions and Statements

Black Rifle Coffee's public identity is built around three explicitly stated commitments: serving veterans, supporting Second Amendment rights, and producing premium coffee for "people who love America." The brand name itself refers to the AR-style rifle Hafer carried during military service.[1] The company's SEC filings and investor materials repeatedly reference the brand's commitment to active-duty military, veterans, first responders, and "those who love America."[5]

The company has been publicly outspoken on hiring veterans. Hafer set a goal of hiring 10,000 veterans and has stated in interviews with Fox Business that the company maintains a veteran hire rate "10 times the national average" of comparable consumer goods companies.[6] Approximately half the workforce, by company-reported figures, are veterans, military spouses, or reservists.

In 2017, BRCC released a widely shared advertising campaign that contrasted Starbucks' announced plan to hire 10,000 refugees with BRCC's commitment to hire 10,000 veterans.[1] The campaign drew both praise from conservative customers and criticism from observers who saw it as a publicity stunt that misrepresented Starbucks' employment practices.

Products and Customer Base

BRCC sells specialty-grade coffee at a price point above mass-market brands but below boutique single-origin roasters. The product line includes signature blends with names referencing military culture (Just Black, AK-47 Espresso Blend, Silencer Smooth, CAF Blend), single-serve K-cups, ready-to-drink iced coffee cans, branded merchandise, and a growing café footprint primarily in the southern and mountain west United States. Customers can buy direct from the company or through grocery and convenience retailers.

The customer base is heavily concentrated among veterans, active-duty military, law enforcement, first responders, and the broader conservative consumer market. The brand's social media presence — particularly its YouTube channel — features content combining product marketing with humor about military service, which has been central to the brand's growth.[6]

Founding and Ownership

Evan Hafer founded the company in 2014 after serving twenty years in the U.S. Army, primarily as a Special Forces operator with multiple deployments to combat zones, followed by work as a CIA contractor. The company went public via SPAC merger with SilverBox Engaged Merger Corp in 2022, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BRCC.[6] Hafer has described the SPAC partner as having been chosen specifically for shared mission alignment with veteran causes.

The company has publicly clarified that it now describes itself as "veteran-founded" rather than "veteran-owned," reflecting the structural reality that, after public listing and outside investment, Hafer is no longer the majority owner of the business by the strict federal definition of veteran-owned status.[7] He remains CEO and the company's public face.

Where to Find Them

Black Rifle Coffee is sold direct-to-consumer at the official website, through a growing nationwide café footprint, and through grocery, convenience store, and big-box retail partners including Walmart, Sam's Club, and military exchanges. Subscription delivery is available with custom blend selection.

Footnotes

[1] Wikipedia, "Black Rifle Coffee Company," accessed April 28, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Rifle_Coffee_Company

[2] Black Rifle Coffee Company, "About," company website, accessed April 28, 2026. https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/pages/about

[3] OpenSecrets.org, "Black Rifle Coffee Summary," accessed April 28, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/black-rifle-coffee/summary?id=D000097196

[4] The Daily Dot, "Black Rifle Coffee Company faces backlash over Democrat donations," accessed April 28, 2026. https://www.dailydot.com/debug/black-rifle-coffee-company-democrat-donations-boycott/

[5] Black Rifle Coffee Company, "Investor Relations: Corporate Governance / Company Profile," accessed April 28, 2026. https://ir.blackriflecoffee.com/corporate-governance/company-profile

[6] Fox Business, "Black Rifle Coffee CEO Evan Hafer going public to fulfill mission of helping thousands of veterans land jobs," accessed April 28, 2026. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/black-rifle-coffee-ceo-evan-hafer-going-public-to-fulfill-mission-of-helping-thousands-of-veterans-land-jobs

[7] Aerial Resupply Coffee Blog, "Is Black Rifle Coffee Veteran Owned?", accessed April 28, 2026. https://aerialresupplycoffee.com/blogs/the-resupply-blog/is-black-rifle-coffee-veteran-owned