Coffee & Veterans: Hear From Founder, Co-CEO, COO of Black Rifle Coffee Co in Fireside Chat

IPO Edge

January 11, 2022 at 2:56 PM·4 min read

IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association hosted a fireside chat at the 2022 ICR Conference with the Founder, co-CEO, and COO of Black Rifle Coffee Company, LLC to discuss BRCC’s unique business model, the evolution from DTC to multichannel, management team capacity, unit economics of the company’s ‘Outpost’ physical retail locations, and opportunities in the ready-to-drink (RTD) consumer segment. The event featured Black Rifle Coffee Founder Evan Hafer, Co-CEO Tom Davin, and COO Toby Johnson joined by and IPO Edge Editor-at-Large Jarrett Banks in a moderated video session lasting approximately 15 minutes.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL REPLAY

About Black Rifle Coffee Company

Black Rifle Coffee Company is a veteran-founded coffee company and a leader in hiring veterans and giving back to the service community. Launched in 2014 by former Green Beret and CIA contractor Evan Hafer, BRCC has been embraced by coffee lovers for its bold roasts and creative content. In its seven years of operation, BRCC has inspired, entertained, and informed generations of active duty service members, military veterans, first responders, and the men and women who support them. BRCC sells premium-roast coffee and coffee accessories and BRCC-branded apparel online, at its company-owned and franchise coffee outposts, and in select retail stores across the U.S. With every purchase made, they give back.

To learn more about BRCC, visit www.blackriflecoffee.com, follow along on social media, or subscribe to the Coffee or Die blog at https://coffeeordie.com/presscheck-signup.

Mr. Hafer, Mr. Davin and Ms. Johnson discussed:

BRCC’s unique business model
The evolution from DTC to multichannel
Management team capacity
Unit economics of physical ‘Outpost’ retail locations
Opportunities in the ready-to-drink (RTD) consumer segment

About the Speakers:

Evan Hafer is the founder and CEO of Black Rifle Coffee Company. America’s leading Veteran-owned and operated premium, small-batch coffee roastery. He started Black Rifle Coffee Company to provide a high-quality coffee to the pro-American and Veteran communities.

Between deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, he worked to refine both his coffee roasting and his firearms skills. He has spent over a decade researching coffee, refining his roast profiles, and (of course) drinking what he roasts. Black Rifle Coffee Company is quite literally the combination of his two favorite passions. He takes pride in the coffee we roast, the veterans we employ, and the causes we support.

Tom Davin is the Co-CEO at Black Rifle Coffee Company. He is a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer veteran with 25 years of experience as a senior executive, investor, and board member of fast-growing, category-defining brands including PepsiCo, Taco Bell, Panda Express, Oakley, Zumiez, and 5.11 Tactical. Professionally, Tom brokered the deal between PepsiCo and Starbucks to bring bottled Frappuccino’s to the retail market, and he’s responsible for introducing 5.11 Tactical to the brick-and-mortar retail market. As a Recon Marine, Tom attended and graduated from some of the top military training and leadership schools, including Parachute Jumpmaster, Special Forces Combat Diver, and U.S. Army Ranger School. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and an MBA from Harvard. He takes his coffee black — specifically, Blackbeard’s Delight Americano-style brewed with an espresso machine — and enjoys fitness and spending time with his family.

Toby Johnson is the Chief Operating Officer and adds to our veteran ranks, having served seven years in the U.S. Army. She earned an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation. She was selected for aviation training and later further selected to become an AH-64D Apache Longbow (Gunship) pilot. Toby deployed with the 3rd Infantry Division as part of the initial invasion in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Upon leaving the U.S. Army, she attended Harvard Business School, earning an MBA. Toby started her business career 14 years ago as the manufacturing director at a Frito-Lay plant (a division of PepsiCo) ultimately spending 13 years at PepsiCo, where she held key leadership positions with increasing responsibilities in manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, and sales. For the past year, Toby has been the Senior Vice President of Sales for Campbell’s $4B snacks division, where her team sold brands including Goldfish, Milano, Pepperidge Farm, Late July, Cape Cod, Kettle Brand, and Snyder’s of Hanover.

Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian stocks drift after Wall Street closes another winning week
Asian stocks were mostly lower on Monday after Wall Street coasted to the close of another winning week. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices fell. The release of weak Chinese lending data and news that the U.S. government plans to raise tariffs o a raft of Chinese exports were weighing on sentiment.
TODAY
Dylan Dreyer celebrates Mother's Day and her 7-year-old son's major milestone
Dylan Dreyer celebrated Mother's Day and her son's First Communion this weekend. See her adorable photos.
Associated Press
Germany limits cash benefit payments for asylum-seekers. Critics say it's designed to curb migration
When Erdina Laca goes grocery shopping in Eichsfeld these days, she pulls out a special payment card that’s for asylum-seekers only. Laca, 45, came from Albania with her husband and three children and applied for asylum in Germany last September. The family lives in the county of Eichsfeld in the eastern state of Thuringia and has been one of the first in the country to receive half of their government benefits in the form of cashless payments on a plastic card.
AFP
India vote resumes with Kashmir poised to oppose Modi
India's six-week election resumed Monday including in Kashmir, where voters are expected to show their discontent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cancellation of their disputed territory's semi-autonomy and the security crackdown that followed."What we're telling voters now is that you have to make your voice heard," said former chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose National Conference party is campaigning for the restoration of Kashmir's former semi-autonomy.
Associated Press
Vast coin collection of Danish magnate is going on sale a century after his death
The vast coin collection of a Danish butter magnate is set to finally go on sale a century after his death, and could fetch up to $72 million. Lars Emil Bruun, also known as L.E. Bruun, stipulated in his will that his 20,000-piece collection be safeguarded for 100 years before being sold. Deeply moved by the devastation of World War I, he wanted the collection to be a reserve for Denmark, fearing another war.
Associated Press
Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president. Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and personal fixer, is by far the Manhattan district attorney's most important witness in the case and his expected appearance signals that the trial is entering its final stretch. Cohen is expected to testify about his role in arranging hush money payments on Trump's behalf during his first presidential campaign, including to porn actor Stormy Daniels, who told jurors last week that the $130,000 that she received in 2016 was meant to prevent her from going public about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in a hotel suite a decade earlier.
Associated Press
Sleepy far-flung towns in the Philippines will host US forces returning to counter China threats
The far-flung coastal town of Santa Ana in the northeastern tip of the Philippine mainland has long been known by tourists for its beaches, waterfalls, fireflies and a few casinos. The United States and the Philippines, which are longtime treaty allies, have identified Santa Ana in northern Cagayan province as one of nine mostly rural areas where rotating batches of American forces could encamp indefinitely and store their weapons and equipment on local military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. Thousands of U.S. forces withdrew from two huge Navy and Air Force bases in the Philippines in the early 1990s at the end of the Cold War, ending nearly a century of American military presence in the country.
NBC News
Thomas Jefferson University apologizes after commencement mispronunciations go viral
Thomas Jefferson University is apologizing after the names of some graduates from the nursing program were unrecognizably pronounced at their commencement, as seen in videos from the ceremony that have since gone viral.
Associated Press
Jury selection to begin in the corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez
Jury selection was scheduled to start Monday in the trial of Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat charged with accepting bribes of gold and cash to use his influence to deliver favors that would aid three New Jersey businessmen. Menendez, 70, will stand trial in Manhattan federal court along with two of the businessmen — real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. A third businessman has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants.
Associated Press
Violence is traumatizing Haitian kids. Now the country's breaking a taboo on mental health services
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Students often throw up or wet themselves when gunfire erupts outside their school in northern Port-au-Prince. When they do, school director Roseline Ceragui Louis finds there's only one way to try to calm the children and keep them safe: getting them to lie on the classroom floor while she sings softly. Haiti's capital is under the onslaught of powerful gangs that control 80% of of the city.
Associated Press
Trump suggests Chinese migrants are in the US to build an 'army.' The migrants tell another story
It was 7 a.m. on a recent Friday when Wang Gang, a 36-year-old Chinese immigrant, jostled for a day job in New York City's Flushing neighborhood. It would be another day without a job since he crossed the southern U.S. border illegally in February, seeking better financial prospects than he had in his hometown of Wuhan, China. The daily struggle of Chinese immigrants in Flushing is a far cry from the picture former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have sought to paint of them as a coordinated group of “military-age” men who have come to the United States to build an “army” and attack America.
Associated Press
More bodies found in Indonesia after flash floods killed dozens and submerged homes
Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday after monsoon rains triggered flash floods on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, bringing down torrents of cold lava and mud, leaving 41 people dead and another 17 missing. The heavy rains, along with a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi, caused a river to breach its banks. The deluge tore through mountainside villages along four districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight Saturday.
AFP
Indonesia's Mount Ibu erupts again, spews huge ash tower
A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Monday, spewing a huge ash tower more than five kilometres (three miles) into the sky after authorities raised its alert level to the second-highest last week.The alert level remained at the second-highest of a four-tiered system on Monday after authorities raised it last week, with an exclusion zone between three and five kilometres (two to three miles) around the volcano's crater.
AFP
China accused of targeting overseas citizens for political activism
China is targeting citizens studying abroad for their political activism, rights group Amnesty International said Monday, with some students reporting harassment of family members back home.Amnesty International on Monday said Beijing's targeting of students has "engendered a 'climate of fear' on university campuses across Western Europe and North America, negatively impacting upon students' human rights."
CNN
Thousands of Canadians have been forced to evacuate from raging wildfires. Now harmful smoke is blowing into the US
Thousands across Canada were urged to evacuate from blazing wildfires on Saturday, and the smoke emanating from them could be another danger lasting for the next two days — resulting in poor air quality and reduced visibility as it begins to waft into the US.
Associated Press
Wisconsin Supreme Court considers expanding use of absentee ballot drop boxes
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Monday in a case pushed by Democrats to overturn a ruling that all but eliminated the use of absentee ballot drop boxes in the swing state. The court's ruling will come within three months of the Aug. 13 primary and within six months of the November presidential election. A reversal could have implications on what is expected to be another razor-thin presidential race in Wisconsin.
TODAY
Hoda Kotb shows off her daughters’ homemade Mother’s Day gifts: ‘Lucky me’
TODAY co-anchor Hoda Kotb is one proud mama this Mother's Day, and she shared new pics of her daughters Haley and Hope.
Reuters
Georgia police push protesters away ahead of 'foreign agent' bill debate, Russia's TASS reports
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze vowed on Sunday to push ahead with the law, after opponents of the bill rallied in one of the largest protests seen since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Georgia's opposition called on opponents of the bill to stage on all-night protest outside parliament to prevent lawmakers from entering on Monday, when they are due to begin debating the bill's third reading.
AFP
In US national parks, a historical wound begins to heal
When Raeshaun Ramon first donned the distinctive green and gray uniform of a US National Park Service ranger, he feared his Native American tribe would judge him for his choice.Ramon is the first ranger at Saguaro to belong to the Tohono O'odham nation -- literally, the "desert people" -- even though the park is their historic territory.
AFP
Loss and hope: US park rangers' climate crisis fight
American biologist Laura Brennan describes the coin-sized Karner blue butterfly as "very delicate and graceful" with a "lovely blue" coloring and "just a little speckling of orange."In Indiana, the Karner blue butterfly (Plebejus samuelis) is the first known endangered species to have disappeared from an American national park due to global warming.

Latest Stories