JRE 2070 · June 27, 2024

Evan Hafer

military business entrepreneurship veterans

Who is Evan Hafer?

Evan Hafer is a Special Forces veteran, founder/CEO of Black Rifle Coffee Company, and one of the hosts of the "Black Rifle Coffee Podcast."https://www.blackriflecoffee.com

TLDR — Key Topics and Moments

01Evan Hafer discusses his journey from Special Forces to founding Black Rifle Coffee Company and building it into a major brand
02The conversation covers military service, combat experiences, and what shaped Hafer's perspective on leadership and business
03Black Rifle Coffee's mission to support veterans and military communities is a core theme throughout the discussion
04Hafer talks about the coffee industry, sourcing, roasting, and what makes their product different from competitors
05Discussion includes the Black Rifle Coffee Podcast and how Hafer uses media to connect with his audience
06Topics touch on entrepreneurship, building company culture, and scaling a business while staying true to core values

The Show

Joe sits down with Evan Hafer, the former Special Forces operator turned coffee entrepreneur who built Black Rifle Coffee Company into one of the most recognizable brands in the veteran and tactical community. This is a conversation between two people who have deep respect for authenticity and aren't interested in bullshit, which makes for a pretty straightforward discussion about military life, business, and what it takes to build something real.

Hafer's path to coffee wasn't some random pivot. His military background shaped everything about how he approaches business. He went through the trenches of Special Forces selection and deployment, experiences that taught him about discipline, leadership under pressure, and how to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to people. When he started Black Rifle Coffee, it wasn't just about making good coffee, though that obviously matters. It was about building something that meant something to the community he came from.

The conversation gets into the actual business side of things, how he sources beans, what goes into roasting, and why the company has become so successful despite, or maybe because of, the fact that they don't apologize for who they are. Hafer talks about the coffee industry and how most companies are doing it wrong or not thinking about quality and their actual customers. Black Rifle's approach has always been different, more direct, more honest.

One major part of the discussion involves the Black Rifle Coffee Podcast and how Hafer uses that platform to reach people. He's not just selling coffee, he's building a community and having real conversations. The podcast has become this extension of what the brand is about, featuring guests from all different backgrounds but all tied together by a certain ethos.

Throughout the conversation, Hafer touches on what it means to build company culture when you're scaling. The challenge isn't just making good coffee anymore, it's keeping that culture intact as you grow. It's about hiring people who get it, who understand the mission isn't just profit but actually supporting the veteran community and the values that the brand was built on.

There's an underlying current of pragmatism in everything Hafer talks about. He's not interested in corporate speak or pretending things are something they're not. You get the sense that he approaches business the way he approached his military career, with clarity about the mission and respect for the people doing the work.