JANUARY 08, 2024
From Bean to Brand,
to Success #3
Black Rifle Coffee Company: Make Coffee Great Again
GABRIEL SARTI
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY’S LOGO
Coffee in the Time of Political Polarization
When everyone is offering the same product, the best strategy is always to offer something different.
In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed brands like Starbucks (click here) and Nespresso (click here), which have built their entire identity around the lifestyle of white-collar professionals – mostly urban, cosmopolitan, and progressive. Not coincidentally, Starbucks’ Caffè Latte has become one of the main symbols of the corporate world.
However, the human experience is much broader and diverse than that of office workers in skyscrapers in big cities. That’s why, in this latest entry in our blog series “From Bean to Brand, to Success”, we are going to explore Black Rifle Coffee Company, a coffee business that, breaking all style manuals, values military culture, firearms, and masculinity in an era marked by political tensions and polarization.
Let’s discover how this business, launched in 2014 by two U.S. Army veterans, has grown to become not only one of the most recognized coffee brands in the United States but also the symbol of one of the most relevant countercultural movements of our time: the Alternative Right.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY AD
It’s the timing, st*pid!
If Evan Hafer and Mat Best, two veterans of the U.S. Army and former CIA contractors, were to launch Black Rifle Coffee Company in the mid-90s or the first decade of the 2000s, it’s likely that their startup would have floundered. But they did it in 2014, and that, though counterintuitive, was undoubtedly their first major success. It’s true that when they launched Black Rifle Coffee Company, Mat Best was already a YouTube celebrity, especially within the military community – a community by no means insignificant in the United States, which contributed to the brand’s growth. But that alone doesn’t explain the success they achieved in such a short time. So, what’s the reason?
By the year 2014, the «Culture War» in the West, widely talked about today, was already underway and on the verge of reaching its peak. Topics such as gender roles, political correctness, safe spaces, immigration, gun use, etc., were constantly questioned and debated. Many companies, afraid to clash with what seemed to be the new cultural norms, knelt down and embraced the premises of this rapidly emerging movement, now rebranded as the «WOKE Movement«.
What appeared to be the most sensible strategy for corporate image back in that distant 2014 also resulted in the alienation of the other half of society that did not align with these new cultural norms. It was in this discursive void left by major companies that Black Rifle Coffee Company emerged, thrived, and succeeded.
BRCC: ONE OF THE FEW BRANDS THAT SUPPORT THE POLICE COMMUNITY
Love it or hate it, but never ignore it
Up to this point, the stage is set. However, in the face of this context of social upheaval, and turning to what concerns us in this article, what Branding and Brand Storytelling strategy did its owners employ for Black Rifle Coffee Company to transition from a mere online coffee venture to a company worth over a billion dollars in just under 10 years?
The first thing to highlight is that both Hafer and Best understood perfectly not only the importance of using social media but also how to use it to capture users’ attention. As mentioned in other articles, in the hyperconnected world we find ourselves in, the scarcest and most valuable resource today is people’s attention. Your online content is not only competing with that of a rival company; it’s also up against the latest Netflix series, the trending travel blogger’s newest video, viral tweets from the current influencer, and the latest global news event that captivates worldwide attention. What has become our everyday reality in 2024 wasn’t as consciously acknowledged in 2014. However, that wasn’t the case for Hafer and Best. They understood that to succeed, they had to grab attention. And to grab attention, they had to be controversial and provocative—very provocative. Their goal was simple: provoke strong reactions over their content —hatred or fascination— but never indifference.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY – “HOW TO BE AMERICAN” AD
Thus, when American society began questioning the «oversexualization of women,» Black Rifle Coffee Company mocked it by posting photos and videos of their partners in bikinis and underwear. When the talk shifted to «Toxic Masculinity,» they shared hyper-masculine content. Amid discussions on gun control, they showcased their visits to shooting ranges with military-grade weapons. As the conversation turned to aiding refugees, they scoffed and proposed supporting veterans. And when the Black Lives Matter movement emerged, they chose to back the Blue Lives Matter movement, launching their «Thin Blue Line» coffee beans in support of law enforcement.
In the face of this new WOKE cultural trend, which adopted an attitude of outrage towards all traditional elements of American society, members of Black Rifle Coffee Company responded with humor, sarcasm, and irreverence. And in the social media universe, amid a divided and polarized society, that’s worth its weight in gold.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY – “BECAUSE AMERICA, THAT’S WHY” AD
The “Blue-collar Conservatives’” coffee
Another key element in Black Rifle Coffee Company’s branding strategy, helping to explain the brand’s success and often overlooked, is that, from the inception of the startup, its creators were acutely aware of who their target audience was and who it wasn’t.
As mentioned above, by the year 2014, leading coffee brands were geared towards a white-collar professional and executive audience, who saw in that coffee made with organic beans from Indonesia and served by a hipster barista a sort of synecdoche of their sophisticated and cosmopolitan lifestyle. This, combined with the «Culture War«, made blue-collar workers perceive these brands as pretentious, distant, and even, in some cases, disrespectful to their culture. It was in that Blue Ocean that Black Rifle Coffee Company chose to build its brand and become a leader.
Or to put it in other terms, while most coffee brands like Starbucks or Nespresso cater to the «Latte Liberals,» who work in international corporations, drive hybrid cars, and admire Greta Thunberg, Black Rifle Coffee Company is geared towards the «Blue-collar Conservatives,» who work in construction or as truck drivers, drive American-made pickups, are deeply nationalist, and enjoy hunting or going to the shooting range on weekends.
This clear understanding of the audience Black Rifle Coffee Company was targeting led the brand to establish connections with prominent figures in what has come to be known as the American Alternative Right, such as Joe Rogan and Steven Crowder. It was also the reason why, in 2016, Black Rifle Coffee Company was one of the few brands that openly and unequivocally supported the candidacy of Donald Trump.
BRCC DONALD TRUMP CANDIDACY SUPPORT AD FT. STEVEN CROWDER
BRCC: The coffee-squires of Trump Supporters
If launching Black Rifle Coffee Company in 2014 was Hafer and Best’s first major success, supporting Donald Trump’s candidacy was undoubtedly their second. Amid the political and social earthquake of that election, where polarization and the «Culture War» reached unprecedented levels, Hafer and Best’s venture gained media exposure beyond their most optimistic dreams. While Donald Trump set the news ablaze with his incendiary comments and the vast majority of companies avoided him like the plague, Black Rifle Coffee Company appeared as one of the few squires and sponsors of the man who, whether we like it or not, initiated a right-wing revolution not only in the United States but also globally.
Of course, this meant the definitive break with the traditional corporate world. However, it also led to the loyalty of vast segments of society beyond the communities of veterans, military personnel, and army enthusiasts. Black Rifle Coffee Company would cease to be just a coffee brand for the military, creating humorous content on social media, to become the providers of the necessary caffeine doses for an entire movement that aimed to save America. And their logo would become an undisputed part of the iconography of the Alternative Right and Trump-supporters.
BRCC – “WHO WE ARE” VIDEO
JANUARY 08, 2024
From Bean to Brand,
to Success #3
Black Rifle Coffee Company: Make Coffee Great Again
GABRIEL SARTI
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY’S LOGO
Coffee in the Time of Political Polarization
When everyone is offering the same product, the best strategy is always to offer something different.
In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed brands like Starbucks (click here) and Nespresso (click here), which have built their entire identity around the lifestyle of white-collar professionals – mostly urban, cosmopolitan, and progressive. Not coincidentally, Starbucks’ Caffè Latte has become one of the main symbols of the corporate world.
However, the human experience is much broader and diverse than that of office workers in skyscrapers in big cities. That’s why, in this latest entry in our blog series “From Bean to Brand, to Success”, we are going to explore Black Rifle Coffee Company, a coffee business that, breaking all style manuals, values military culture, firearms, and masculinity in an era marked by political tensions and polarization.
Let’s discover how this business, launched in 2014 by two U.S. Army veterans, has grown to become not only one of the most recognized coffee brands in the United States but also the symbol of one of the most relevant countercultural movements of our time: the Alternative Right.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY AD
It’s the timing, st*pid!
If Evan Hafer and Mat Best, two veterans of the U.S. Army and former CIA contractors, were to launch Black Rifle Coffee Company in the mid-90s or the first decade of the 2000s, it’s likely that their startup would have floundered. But they did it in 2014, and that, though counterintuitive, was undoubtedly their first major success. It’s true that when they launched Black Rifle Coffee Company, Mat Best was already a YouTube celebrity, especially within the military community – a community by no means insignificant in the United States, which contributed to the brand’s growth. But that alone doesn’t explain the success they achieved in such a short time. So, what’s the reason?
By the year 2014, the «Culture War» in the West, widely talked about today, was already underway and on the verge of reaching its peak. Topics such as gender roles, political correctness, safe spaces, immigration, gun use, etc., were constantly questioned and debated. Many companies, afraid to clash with what seemed to be the new cultural norms, knelt down and embraced the premises of this rapidly emerging movement, now rebranded as the «WOKE Movement«.
What appeared to be the most sensible strategy for corporate image back in that distant 2014 also resulted in the alienation of the other half of society that did not align with these new cultural norms. It was in this discursive void left by major companies that Black Rifle Coffee Company emerged, thrived, and succeeded.
BRCC: ONE OF THE FEW BRANDS THAT SUPPORT THE POLICE COMMUNITY
Love it or hate it, but never ignore it
Up to this point, the stage is set. However, in the face of this context of social upheaval, and turning to what concerns us in this article, what Branding and Brand Storytelling strategy did its owners employ for Black Rifle Coffee Company to transition from a mere online coffee venture to a company worth over a billion dollars in just under 10 years?
The first thing to highlight is that both Hafer and Best understood perfectly not only the importance of using social media but also how to use it to capture users’ attention. As mentioned in other articles, in the hyperconnected world we find ourselves in, the scarcest and most valuable resource today is people’s attention. Your online content is not only competing with that of a rival company; it’s also up against the latest Netflix series, the trending travel blogger’s newest video, viral tweets from the current influencer, and the latest global news event that captivates worldwide attention. What has become our everyday reality in 2024 wasn’t as consciously acknowledged in 2014. However, that wasn’t the case for Hafer and Best. They understood that to succeed, they had to grab attention. And to grab attention, they had to be controversial and provocative—very provocative. Their goal was simple: provoke strong reactions over their content —hatred or fascination— but never indifference.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY – “HOW TO BE AMERICAN” AD
Thus, when American society began questioning the «oversexualization of women,» Black Rifle Coffee Company mocked it by posting photos and videos of their partners in bikinis and underwear. When the talk shifted to «Toxic Masculinity,» they shared hyper-masculine content. Amid discussions on gun control, they showcased their visits to shooting ranges with military-grade weapons. As the conversation turned to aiding refugees, they scoffed and proposed supporting veterans. And when the Black Lives Matter movement emerged, they chose to back the Blue Lives Matter movement, launching their «Thin Blue Line» coffee beans in support of law enforcement.
In the face of this new WOKE cultural trend, which adopted an attitude of outrage towards all traditional elements of American society, members of Black Rifle Coffee Company responded with humor, sarcasm, and irreverence. And in the social media universe, amid a divided and polarized society, that’s worth its weight in gold.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY – “BECAUSE AMERICA, THAT’S WHY” AD
The “Blue-collar Conservatives’” coffee
Another key element in Black Rifle Coffee Company’s branding strategy, helping to explain the brand’s success and often overlooked, is that, from the inception of the startup, its creators were acutely aware of who their target audience was and who it wasn’t.
As mentioned above, by the year 2014, leading coffee brands were geared towards a white-collar professional and executive audience, who saw in that coffee made with organic beans from Indonesia and served by a hipster barista a sort of synecdoche of their sophisticated and cosmopolitan lifestyle. This, combined with the «Culture War«, made blue-collar workers perceive these brands as pretentious, distant, and even, in some cases, disrespectful to their culture. It was in that Blue Ocean that Black Rifle Coffee Company chose to build its brand and become a leader.
Or to put it in other terms, while most coffee brands like Starbucks or Nespresso cater to the «Latte Liberals,» who work in international corporations, drive hybrid cars, and admire Greta Thunberg, Black Rifle Coffee Company is geared towards the «Blue-collar Conservatives,» who work in construction or as truck drivers, drive American-made pickups, are deeply nationalist, and enjoy hunting or going to the shooting range on weekends.
This clear understanding of the audience Black Rifle Coffee Company was targeting led the brand to establish connections with prominent figures in what has come to be known as the American Alternative Right, such as Joe Rogan and Steven Crowder. It was also the reason why, in 2016, Black Rifle Coffee Company was one of the few brands that openly and unequivocally supported the candidacy of Donald Trump.
BRCC DONALD TRUMP CANDIDACY SUPPORT AD FT. STEVEN CROWDER
BRCC: The coffee-squires of Trump Supporters
If launching Black Rifle Coffee Company in 2014 was Hafer and Best’s first major success, supporting Donald Trump’s candidacy was undoubtedly their second. Amid the political and social earthquake of that election, where polarization and the «Culture War» reached unprecedented levels, Hafer and Best’s venture gained media exposure beyond their most optimistic dreams. While Donald Trump set the news ablaze with his incendiary comments and the vast majority of companies avoided him like the plague, Black Rifle Coffee Company appeared as one of the few squires and sponsors of the man who, whether we like it or not, initiated a right-wing revolution not only in the United States but also globally.
Of course, this meant the definitive break with the traditional corporate world. However, it also led to the loyalty of vast segments of society beyond the communities of veterans, military personnel, and army enthusiasts. Black Rifle Coffee Company would cease to be just a coffee brand for the military, creating humorous content on social media, to become the providers of the necessary caffeine doses for an entire movement that aimed to save America. And their logo would become an undisputed part of the iconography of the Alternative Right and Trump-supporters.
BRCC – “WHO WE ARE” VIDEO
JANUARY 08, 2024
From Bean to Brand, to Success #3
Black Rifle Coffee Company: Make Coffee Great Again
GABRIEL SARTI
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY’S LOGO
Coffee in the Time of Political Polarization
When everyone is offering the same product, the best strategy is always to offer something different.
In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed brands like Starbucks (click here) and Nespresso (click here), which have built their entire identity around the lifestyle of white-collar professionals – mostly urban, cosmopolitan, and progressive. Not coincidentally, Starbucks’ Caffè Latte has become one of the main symbols of the corporate world.
However, the human experience is much broader and diverse than that of office workers in skyscrapers in big cities. That’s why, in this latest entry in our blog series “From Bean to Brand, to Success”, we are going to explore Black Rifle Coffee Company, a coffee business that, breaking all style manuals, values military culture, firearms, and masculinity in an era marked by political tensions and polarization.
Let’s discover how this business, launched in 2014 by two U.S. Army veterans, has grown to become not only one of the most recognized coffee brands in the United States but also the symbol of one of the most relevant countercultural movements of our time: the Alternative Right.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY AD
It’s the timing, st*pid!
If Evan Hafer and Mat Best, two veterans of the U.S. Army and former CIA contractors, were to launch Black Rifle Coffee Company in the mid-90s or the first decade of the 2000s, it’s likely that their startup would have floundered. But they did it in 2014, and that, though counterintuitive, was undoubtedly their first major success. It’s true that when they launched Black Rifle Coffee Company, Mat Best was already a YouTube celebrity, especially within the military community – a community by no means insignificant in the United States, which contributed to the brand’s growth. But that alone doesn’t explain the success they achieved in such a short time. So, what’s the reason?
By the year 2014, the «Culture War» in the West, widely talked about today, was already underway and on the verge of reaching its peak. Topics such as gender roles, political correctness, safe spaces, immigration, gun use, etc., were constantly questioned and debated. Many companies, afraid to clash with what seemed to be the new cultural norms, knelt down and embraced the premises of this rapidly emerging movement, now rebranded as the «WOKE Movement«.
What appeared to be the most sensible strategy for corporate image back in that distant 2014 also resulted in the alienation of the other half of society that did not align with these new cultural norms. It was in this discursive void left by major companies that Black Rifle Coffee Company emerged, thrived, and succeeded.
BRCC: ONE OF THE FEW BRANDS THAT SUPPORT THE POLICE COMMUNITY
Love it or hate it, but never ignore it
Up to this point, the stage is set. However, in the face of this context of social upheaval, and turning to what concerns us in this article, what Branding and Brand Storytelling strategy did its owners employ for Black Rifle Coffee Company to transition from a mere online coffee venture to a company worth over a billion dollars in just under 10 years?
The first thing to highlight is that both Hafer and Best understood perfectly not only the importance of using social media but also how to use it to capture users’ attention. As mentioned in other articles, in the hyperconnected world we find ourselves in, the scarcest and most valuable resource today is people’s attention. Your online content is not only competing with that of a rival company; it’s also up against the latest Netflix series, the trending travel blogger’s newest video, viral tweets from the current influencer, and the latest global news event that captivates worldwide attention. What has become our everyday reality in 2024 wasn’t as consciously acknowledged in 2014. However, that wasn’t the case for Hafer and Best. They understood that to succeed, they had to grab attention. And to grab attention, they had to be controversial and provocative—very provocative. Their goal was simple: provoke strong reactions over their content —hatred or fascination— but never indifference.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY – “HOW TO BE AMERICAN” AD
Thus, when American society began questioning the «oversexualization of women,» Black Rifle Coffee Company mocked it by posting photos and videos of their partners in bikinis and underwear. When the talk shifted to «Toxic Masculinity,» they shared hyper-masculine content. Amid discussions on gun control, they showcased their visits to shooting ranges with military-grade weapons. As the conversation turned to aiding refugees, they scoffed and proposed supporting veterans. And when the Black Lives Matter movement emerged, they chose to back the Blue Lives Matter movement, launching their «Thin Blue Line» coffee beans in support of law enforcement.
In the face of this new WOKE cultural trend, which adopted an attitude of outrage towards all traditional elements of American society, members of Black Rifle Coffee Company responded with humor, sarcasm, and irreverence. And in the social media universe, amid a divided and polarized society, that’s worth its weight in gold.
BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY – “BECAUSE AMERICA, THAT’S WHY” AD
The “Blue-collar Conservatives’” coffee
Another key element in Black Rifle Coffee Company’s branding strategy, helping to explain the brand’s success and often overlooked, is that, from the inception of the startup, its creators were acutely aware of who their target audience was and who it wasn’t.
As mentioned above, by the year 2014, leading coffee brands were geared towards a white-collar professional and executive audience, who saw in that coffee made with organic beans from Indonesia and served by a hipster barista a sort of synecdoche of their sophisticated and cosmopolitan lifestyle. This, combined with the «Culture War«, made blue-collar workers perceive these brands as pretentious, distant, and even, in some cases, disrespectful to their culture. It was in that Blue Ocean that Black Rifle Coffee Company chose to build its brand and become a leader.
Or to put it in other terms, while most coffee brands like Starbucks or Nespresso cater to the «Latte Liberals,» who work in international corporations, drive hybrid cars, and admire Greta Thunberg, Black Rifle Coffee Company is geared towards the «Blue-collar Conservatives,» who work in construction or as truck drivers, drive American-made pickups, are deeply nationalist, and enjoy hunting or going to the shooting range on weekends.
This clear understanding of the audience Black Rifle Coffee Company was targeting led the brand to establish connections with prominent figures in what has come to be known as the American Alternative Right, such as Joe Rogan and Steven Crowder. It was also the reason why, in 2016, Black Rifle Coffee Company was one of the few brands that openly and unequivocally supported the candidacy of Donald Trump.
BRCC DONALD TRUMP CANDIDACY SUPPORT AD FT. STEVEN CROWDER
BRCC: The coffee-squires of Trump Supporters
If launching Black Rifle Coffee Company in 2014 was Hafer and Best’s first major success, supporting Donald Trump’s candidacy was undoubtedly their second. Amid the political and social earthquake of that election, where polarization and the «Culture War» reached unprecedented levels, Hafer and Best’s venture gained media exposure beyond their most optimistic dreams. While Donald Trump set the news ablaze with his incendiary comments and the vast majority of companies avoided him like the plague, Black Rifle Coffee Company appeared as one of the few squires and sponsors of the man who, whether we like it or not, initiated a right-wing revolution not only in the United States but also globally.
Of course, this meant the definitive break with the traditional corporate world. However, it also led to the loyalty of vast segments of society beyond the communities of veterans, military personnel, and army enthusiasts. Black Rifle Coffee Company would cease to be just a coffee brand for the military, creating humorous content on social media, to become the providers of the necessary caffeine doses for an entire movement that aimed to save America. And their logo would become an undisputed part of the iconography of the Alternative Right and Trump-supporters.
BRCC – “WHO WE ARE” VIDEO