After discovering that some of their employees donated to left-wing causes, Conservatives have called for a boycott of Black Rifle Coffee.
The Federal Election Commission’s data on donations made by company employees between 2020 and 2022 was highlighted in screenshots shared across X this week by users.
In one example, employees of the veteran-owned business, which rose to prominence due to its perceived pro-Second Amendment leanings, were found to have donated to the left-wing political action committee ActBlue.
Calls were quickly made by right-wing users on social media to boycott Black Rifle Coffee, just like conservatives did with Bud Light after the alcohol brand temporarily partnered with a transgender activist.
“You can’t be America First and donate to ActBlue,” user Tara Bull wrote. “Is it time to Bud Light Black Rifle Coffee Company?”
The screenshot had already been posted to the online forum The Donald in late 2022, but it is once again circulating among conservatives.
The Patriot Voice, a prominent right-wing user, also criticized the company for its employees’ donations.
“Just so you guys know, Black Rifle Coffee Co. @blckriflecoffee is a Communist front company posing as a Veteran friendly ‘Conservative’ brand,” the user wrote. “They have made many donations to ActBlue.”
The Patriot Voice went on to remind users of the controversy the company stirred after it said it had no plans to partner with Kyle Rittenhouse and profit off his case after the teenager shot three people at a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse’s actions were later ruled to be in self-defense.
“I always knew something was OFF when they didn’t get behind Kyle Rittenhouse,” The Patriot Voice added. “BE CAREFUL WHO YOU SUPPORT.”
Analysis by the Daily Dot of Open Secrets, a nonprofit website that allows anyone to view data such as campaign contributions, shows donations from the company’s employees to both left- and right-wing groups.
Black Rifle Coffee Company CEO Evan Hafer, for example, has donated almost entirely to right-wing candidates such as Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas). Apart from donating to then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008, Hafer is shown to have donated only to one other Democrat. In 2020, he gave a $4,000 to Zach Iscol, a U.S. Marine veteran who ran as a Democrat in the 2021 New York City Comptroller election.
In response to the latest calls for a boycott, other conservatives on X asserted that they had long given up on the company.
“It’s amazing to me how long it took for people to realize that Black Rifle Coffee was not a Conservative company…” conservative activist Ryan Fournier said. “Those grifters were called out years ago for funding the Left.”
Conservatives now claim that the company is not only blocking their accounts on X but also disabling comments on its posts.
“Black Rifle Coffee Company locked all of their comments. Typical leftist,” one user said.
However, a few right-wing users argued that blaming the company for the donations of its employees was misleading.
“This screenshot is misleading it doesn’t say that Black Rifle Coffee is donating to Democrats but that some of its employees do,” the popular user @amuse wrote. “Most companies have employees of both parties. That being said not defending the company – they blocked me.”
Black Rifle Coffee has not responded to the uproar thus far. Given that the matter has been raised before, it is probable that the company will not respond at all.
Black Rifle Coffee Company edges closer to profitability following robust 2023 sales.
The veteran-owned coffee chain significantly narrowed its losses last year and expects to focus on efficiency to deliver its first full-year profit in 2024.
Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) has issued its positive first full-year profit guidance after posting strong revenue growth in 2023.
The veteran-owned coffee chain achieved 31% year-on-year sales growth in the 12 months ending December 31, 2023, reaching $395.6 million. Sales in the fourth quarter increased by 28% to $119.6m, as a result of a 78% revenue growth in its wholesale channel during the period.
BRCC, a Utah-based company that has 36 outlets, also reduced its losses last year from $338m in 2022 to $56.7m.
The business is forecasting a low double-digit sales growth in 2024 to reach full-year revenues of $430m-$460m. BRCC also expects adjusted EBITDA to reach $27m-$40m – compared to $13.3m last year.
“BRCC has reached an inflection point, driven by a renewed focus on efficiency and effectiveness, giving us confidence in our first full-year guidance of positive profit and free cash flow,” said Steve Kadenacy, Chief Financial Officer, BRCC.
2023 marked a year of leadership transition for BRCC, which strengthened its management team with several key additions.
In May 2023, Chris Mondzelewski took on the newly created role of President before joining the business as Chief Marketing Officer. Mondzelewski, who previously served as Marketing Director of Kraft Foods’ operations in China, began serving as BRCC CEO in January 2024 after succeeding Founder Evan Hafer, who now holds the position of Executive Chairman.
“Black Rifle continues to build momentum as a brand and as an efficient, well-run company. We continue to find ways to generate efficiency in our business, driving faster decision making and a stronger bottom line,” said Mondzelewski.
Other leadership changes included the appointment of Kadenacy as CFO in April 2023 and the appointment of sales veteran Danya Kennedy as Chief Revenue Officer in the following September.
