Yes, Black Rifle Coffee Company is a conservative-positioned brand. Green Beret veteran Evan Hafer founded it in 2014, it is based in Salt Lake City, and Military.com reports it bills itself as "the world's premium conservative coffee." Hafer told The New York Times he voted for Donald Trump in 2020, while the company says it is not affiliated with any campaign or political party.
Is Black Rifle Coffee a conservative company?
Black Rifle Coffee is a veteran-owned company that markets to conservative, pro-military and pro-law-enforcement customers, and its founder has said so publicly. Hafer described the company to The New York Times as pro-military, pro-law enforcement and anti-hipster, according to Business Insider. The company's own spokesperson said it is not tied to any campaign or party, so the brand's position is cultural and not partisan in a formal sense.
How did Black Rifle build its position?
Black Rifle built its position by offering a clear alternative to a brand that had become known for political stands. The 2017 version of this page, which this update keeps, argued that Starbucks gained attention and loyalty every time it took a public political position, because each boycott motivated its base. Black Rifle tried the same math from the other side, with a veteran-owned brand aimed at customers who wanted to vote with their wallets.
In a 2017 FOX Business interview, Hafer said customers needed to know there were definitive conservative options for coffee if other brands defined themselves as progressive. That 2017 article also reported that the company planned to grow from 24 retail locations to more than 600 within six years, and that it saw hiring veterans as a public relations win. Those 2017 figures were not re-checked, and the expansion plan should be read as a goal, not a result.
What did the 2021 backlash show?
The 2021 backlash showed that a political niche brand can lose control of who adopts it. After a New York Times profile on July 14, 2021, Hafer received hate mail and social media backlash, and he said he wanted to distance the brand from extremists who had adopted its merchandise, according to Military.com. The effort drew criticism from the other side as well, and pundits read a new company message as shutting out conservative voices, which Hafer said was unfairly conflated.
The same report noted a 2018 company video in which Hafer and a colleague parodied opposing political viewpoints, which had 3.4 million views on YouTube. The lesson is practical: a brand's earlier content stays on the record and gets quoted when the brand tries to reposition.
What can other brands learn from Black Rifle?
Other brands can learn three points from the case, and they are this site's analysis, not Black Rifle's own account.
- A political niche builds loyalty fast and narrows the market. The same position that wins a core audience invites boycotts from everyone else.
- You do not control your adopters. Merchandise and slang travel beyond your intended audience, and you answer for them.
- Reposition with facts, not tone. Hafer's 2021 statements drew fire from both sides because the earlier satire was still online.
Where does this case sit in the food and beverage section?
This page is the coffee and political-positioning chapter of the food and beverage PR guide. For the brand it was defined against, see Starbucks PR: Digital Strategy, Crisis and Loyalty Data. The reputation management pillar covers how a position becomes a reputation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Black Rifle Coffee conservative?
Yes. The company markets to conservative, pro-military customers and bills itself as premium conservative coffee, according to Military.com, though it says it is not affiliated with any party or campaign.
Who founded Black Rifle Coffee?
Evan Hafer, a Green Beret veteran, founded the company in 2014 in Salt Lake City.
Why did Black Rifle face backlash in 2021?
A New York Times profile on July 14, 2021 led to a wave of criticism, and the company's attempt to distance itself from extremists drew fire from several directions, according to Military.com.
Originally published February 2017. Updated October 2026. Drafted with AI assistance from the 2017 article, Military.com and Business Insider reports. The company's current ownership, store count and leadership were not checked, and the 2017 expansion figures were not re-verified. This page describes brand positioning and takes no political position.