Why Veteran-Owned Coffee Deserves Your Attention
The veteran coffee space is crowded. Camo bags, American flags, and "support the troops" copy as far as the eye can see. Some of it is real. Some of it is a marketing department that watched a documentary and found an angle.
I'm Mike Klemmer. Twenty years in Army logistics. Three combat deployments. Bronze Star. I drink coffee black and I have opinions.
Here's the honest breakdown of who's actually veteran-owned, who built something real, and who traded their veteran identity for a NYSE ticker.
What Does "Veteran-Owned" Actually Mean — and Why Does It Matter?
Veteran-owned means the SBA definition: veterans own at least 51% of the business and control daily operations. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) require the same, plus a service-connected disability. "Founded by a veteran" and "veteran-owned" are not the same thing.
That definition matters. Because one means something. The other is a bio line.
Keep that in mind as you read.
Which Veteran Coffee Brand Is Still Privately Owned and Roasting to Order?
Charlottesville, VA — Founded by Mike Klemmer, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Aerial Resupply Coffee is the only brand on this list that is still privately owned, certified SDVOSB, and roasting every order to order out of Charlottesville, Virginia. No warehouse of pre-roasted inventory, no public shareholders, no quarterly earnings calls — just a veteran roaster filling bags when orders come in.
Yes, this is my company. No, I'm not going to pretend otherwise. You're reading this on my website. But I'm also going to tell you exactly why ARC deserves the top spot, and you can decide.
ARC is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. Not a brand with a veteran in the "about us" page. Not a public company with a veteran co-founder who hasn't been involved in five years. Me. Still here. Still roasting. Still answering emails.
Every bag is small-batch roasted to order in Charlottesville, Virginia. There is no warehouse full of pre-roasted inventory waiting to ship. When you order, we roast. That's it.
The lineup: Firewatch (Colombian medium), 15W40 (dark Italian), Spectre (dark espresso), MOAB (double-caffeinated Robusta for when coffee isn't cutting it), Lifeline (light roast), Hercules (blonde). Plus K-cups, bundles, flavored roasts, and a subscription that puts $1 per order toward Service Dogs of Virginia.
Best for: Anyone who wants their coffee money to go directly to a veteran, not a shareholder.
Shop ARC Coffee → Start a Subscription →Is Black Rifle Coffee Still Veteran-Owned After Going Public?
Salt Lake City, UT — Founded by Evan Hafer, U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.)
Technically, no. Black Rifle Coffee Company went public on the NYSE in 2022, which structurally disqualifies it from SBA veteran-owned small business certification. Evan Hafer, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, founded it — but a publicly traded corporation answerable to shareholders is not a veteran-owned small business by any SBA definition that matters.
Credit where it's due. BRCC got there first. Evan Hafer built something from nothing, created a category, and proved that veterans could compete at scale in the consumer coffee market. That is genuinely impressive and worth saying out loud.
The coffee is solid. The branding is sharp. They have more SKUs, more retail placement, and more name recognition than any other veteran coffee brand in existence. If you walk into a gas station and see a veteran coffee brand on the shelf, it's probably theirs.
Here's what changed.
In 2022, BRCC went public on the NYSE. The company is now answerable to shareholders, quarterly earnings reports, and Wall Street analysts — not to the veteran community. Their own SEC filings show DTC revenue dropped 14% in 2024 and another 15% in Q1 2025. Wholesale now makes up the majority of their revenue. The company that built its identity on being the anti-corporate veteran brand is now a publicly traded corporation.
None of that makes the coffee bad. It makes the brand something different than what it started as. You're allowed to have feelings about that.
Best for: Brand recognition, wide retail availability, large variety.
Worth knowing: Publicly traded. No longer qualifies as a veteran-owned small business under SBA definitions.
Is Fire Department Coffee Legitimately Veteran-Owned?
Rockford, IL — Founded by veterans and firefighters
Yes, Fire Department Coffee is legitimately veteran-owned. It was founded by veterans and active firefighters, operates as a private company, and runs a genuine charitable mission through the Fire Department Coffee Foundation supporting injured and ill first responders. This is not a branding exercise.
Fire Department Coffee is the real deal. Founded by veterans and active firefighters, they roast in-house and put their mission front and center — supporting injured and ill first responders through the Fire Department Coffee Foundation.
The coffee punches. Bold, straightforward roasts that don't mess around. The branding leans hard into firefighter culture, which makes sense given who built it. If you're a first responder or you want your purchase to support that community specifically, this is your brand.
They've built something with staying power. Consistent product, clear mission, and a customer base that genuinely believes in what they're buying. That's not easy to build and it's worth acknowledging.
Best for: First responders, firefighter families, buyers who want mission-driven coffee with a cause they can see.
Side by Side
| Brand | Veteran-Owned? | Small Batch? | Roast to Order? | Subscription? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Resupply Coffee | ✅ SDVOSB | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Black Rifle Coffee | ⚠️ Publicly traded | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Fire Department Coffee | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
So Which Veteran-Owned Coffee Should You Actually Buy?
If the certification matters to you — if you want your money going to a business that is legally, verifiably, still veteran-owned and operated — buy from ARC or Fire Department Coffee. Both are private. Both are real. Both were built by people who served, not by a marketing team that found an angle.
| Brand | Founded | Ownership Status | Roasts to Order | Certified VOSB | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Resupply Coffee | 2020 | Private — SDVOSB certified | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Veterans who want their money to stay with a vet |
| Black Rifle Coffee Company | 2014 | Publicly traded (NYSE: BRCC) | ❌ No | ❌ No | Wide retail availability, brand recognition |
| Fire Department Coffee | 2016 | Private — veteran and firefighter owned | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | First responders, mission-driven buyers |
All three brands on this list were built by people who served. All three make coffee worth drinking. None of them are scams.
The difference is what you're buying beyond the bag. BRCC built the category and went public. Fire Department Coffee is mission-driven and doing it right. ARC is the one still run by the veteran who started it, roasting to order out of Charlottesville, Virginia, and putting $1 from every subscription toward Service Dogs of Virginia.
Your call.
About the Author
Mike Klemmer is the founder of Aerial Resupply Coffee. After 20 years as an Army logistics officer — including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan — he launched ARC to build a veteran-authentic coffee brand that competes on quality, not just camo. He drinks his coffee black. He roasts it weekly. He answers his own emails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Black Rifle Coffee actually veteran-owned?
Not by the SBA definition that matters. BRCC was founded by Evan Hafer, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, but the company went public on the NYSE in 2022. A publicly traded corporation cannot qualify as a veteran-owned small business under SBA rules, which require veterans to own at least 51% and control daily operations. BRCC is veteran-founded. It is not veteran-owned in any legally meaningful sense.
What is a veteran-owned small business (VOSB)?
A VOSB is a business where veterans own at least 51% and control day-to-day management and long-term decision-making. The SBA certifies these businesses, and a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) requires the veteran owner to have a service-connected disability. These certifications are what separate a real veteran-owned business from a brand that just has a veteran in the "about us" page.
Which veteran coffee brand has the best quality?
Quality is roast-to-order versus pre-roasted inventory. Coffee peaks in the first two to four weeks after roasting — after that, it's declining. Aerial Resupply Coffee roasts every order individually in Charlottesville, VA, which means you're getting fresh coffee, not something that's been sitting in a distribution center. Fire Department Coffee also roasts in-house. BRCC operates at a scale where roast-to-order is not operationally possible.
Does buying veteran-owned coffee actually support veterans?
It depends on the company. At ARC, it means your money goes directly to a veteran-owned business — and $1 from every subscription order goes to Service Dogs of Virginia. The impact is traceable. With larger brands that have gone public or expanded into mass retail, the money flows to shareholders and corporate infrastructure. The intent may be the same, but the structure is different. Buy from small, certified veteran-owned businesses if direct veteran impact is your goal.
What's the difference between veteran-owned and veteran-founded?
Veteran-founded means a veteran started the company. Veteran-owned means a veteran still controls it today — at least 51% ownership plus operational control, per the SBA. A company can be veteran-founded and no longer veteran-owned if the founder sold equity, took the company public, or stepped away from operations. The distinction matters when your goal is to support a veteran with your purchase, not just honor the origin story of a brand.
