Veteran-owned Black Rifle Coffee Company just launched a four-day campaign to donate one bag of coffee to law enforcement for every bag purchased.
The promotion, which runs July 8 through 12, is part of BRCC’s strong support of the law enforcement community, especially after six of the Tempe Police Department’s officers were kicked out of a Starbucks in Arizona on July 4.
“BRCC has always supported the LE [law enforcement] community. They are often the same guys that deployed with us and transition out of the military to work protecting and serving our communities in a different uniform. As a company, we continually work with several agencies and non-profits to ensure those who protect us are always supported. At Black Rifle Coffee Company retail locations law enforcement will always be welcome,” said BRCC CEO and former Green Beret Evan Hafer.
BRCC has already supported law enforcement with their “Thin Blue Line” series of coffees, of which a portion of the proceeds is donated to law enforcement.
On Thursday, a Starbucks location in Tempe, Arizona, made headlines for asking six police officers – some of who were military veterans – to leave the location when a customer complained that their presence made them uncomfortable.
The Tempe Officers Association released a statement saying, “We take offense with Starbucks at McKellips & Scottsdale [roads] for asking our Tempe Officers to leave the establishment on July 4th after paying for coffee and taking a pause while working to protect the freedom so many take for granted… like enjoying a holiday with friends and family. Several of those officers asked to leave are veterans who fought for this country.”
The group also released a graphic prompting the #DumpStarbucks campaign, which they later removed after receiving an apology from Starbucks.
“This is yet another instance were Starbucks and their employees have lost touch with decency and respect for the men and women who serve our communities,” Hafer said of the incident.
BRCC vowed to donate “a sizable amount of coffee” to the department after the incident.
“BRCC has always supported the LE community. Most of what we do doesn’t get published to any of our pages because we support the LE community, not for PR or marketing purposes, we support them because they are our friends and family,” Hafer said on social media.
“They are the same guys that deployed with us and transitioned out of the military to work protecting and serving our communities again in a different uniform. Most people will never have to feel the fear of a ‘simple’ traffic stop. They won’t have to tell a family member that their mothers, fathers or children were killed by a drunk driver, they won’t have to deal with people shooting up in the same parks our kids use… they won’t have to feel those things for one simple reason- great men and women sign up for those responsibilities every day,” Hafer continued.
“So while our city, state and federal elected representatives vilify law enforcement for political gain, officers continue to put their lives on the line for us. It’s fucking disgusting to me that Companies don’t condemn the actions of their employee for disrespecting officers. Companies get too big and become weak and pathetic pandering to the worst part of America. Publicly traded trash,” he concluded.
BRCC is no stranger to veteran and law enforcement causes. BRCC maintains a predominantly veteran executive board and overall staff, and their ultimate goal is to hire 10,000 veterans – which was in response to Starbucks claiming it would hire 10,000 refugees in 2017.
