Black Rifle Coffee's CEO Responds to the
Social Media Furor Over His New York Times
Magazine Interview
Red State,
by
Streiff
Original Article
Posted By: Dreadnought,
7/20/2021 12:50:51 AM
Last week, the CEO of Black Rifle Coffee, Evan Hafer, gave a long-form interview to Jason Zengerle for the New York Times Magazine. I don’t know what he expected to achieve by the exercise, but I’m pretty certain that what he accomplished represented a significant deviation from the plan.
The piece framed Black Rifle Coffee as a “Starbucks for conservatives” and promoted the piece by saying that the company was trying to distance itself from some of its customers. Note that Black Rifle Coffee retweeted this tweet and that usually means that the tweet met with the approval of the person sending it:
My impression is that these guys are trying to ride the fence here, and playing both sides in the hopes that they can walk back the worst of this. This is not the first time Evan Hafer has stepped in a big, sloppy mess. What he should have done is avoid the NYSlimes like the plague, as anyone who has been paying any attention for the past 20 years would know.
He said what he said, and he is going to have to own that. What he ended up doing is pissing off a huge number of his customer base with his careless characterizations. He stepped in it before over his abandonment of Kyle Ritterhouse, and now he is trying to redirect his own words. What he is doing is acting like a weasel here, and he richly deserves the derision he is receiving.
Gateway Pundit took some license yesterday, and did some embellishing of their own. The fact remains, however, that BRC probably believes all that crap about insurrection and the Capitol Riots, and thinks that people on the right were there to overthrow the government or some such BS. These people have been putting on a big tough guy act for years with their words and videos, but in the end, it just appears to be more theater.
Stick to making coffee, Evan, and STxU.
56 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
SALady 7/20/2021 1:06:30 AM (No. 850990)
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, and then trying to dig yourself out!!!
A conservative should never talk to the NY Time-waster. They are going to spin your words however they want. But if you give them ammo to do that easier, don't be shocked with what the final results are.
48 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
formerNYer 7/20/2021 1:19:21 AM (No. 850997)
I prepare a blend of Dunkin Donuts with Folger Black Silk - we have a delicious cup of coffee every time. A very small pinch of salt before brewing. Cold filtered water. Ninja coffee maker.
32 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
DVC 7/20/2021 1:51:11 AM (No. 851007)
Blocking Kurt Schlichter says it all for me. That said, I never, ever drink coffee, so this is just theoretical for me, never would be a customer under any circumstances, anyway.
But this guy seems to have really done a bad job of dealing with 'PR' managing to anger a huge piece of his customer base. That is always stupid.
37 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
seamusm 7/20/2021 2:19:12 AM (No. 851019)
'How much longer?' Hafer and his brand are dead to me now. I hope Black Rifle goes belly up - and soon. Remaining neutral can work but it takes work. It sounds as if Hafer only pretended to defend our side of the aisle and now his true feelings have now been exposed. I feel confident that lefftists were never responsible for any brand success and they treat turncoats just like we do - hang 'em
27 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
5 handicap 7/20/2021 5:30:51 AM (No. 851047)
FTA: The question is, how much longer will Black Rifle Coffee’s customers continue to take Hafer at his word?... There was a niche in the coffee market,they are attempting to fill so they are play-acting like Patriots is a marketing ploy in its entirety, methinks...I'm Done!
31 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Rather Read 7/20/2021 6:10:55 AM (No. 851059)
I don't drink coffee, so this means pretty much zilch to me. But I saw something in the article that boiled my blood. Some people in the DOD think the image of St. Michael trampling Satan is a symbol of white supremacy?!!! What fresh hell is this! I am a Catholic and I say the St. Michael prayer every day. I wear the St. Michael medal and those SJW idiots will never take it from me.
37 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
coldoc 7/20/2021 6:22:56 AM (No. 851064)
The fact that he would give the slimes the time of day means he is 1. not conservative, or 2. stupid.
32 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
NancyD 7/20/2021 6:46:36 AM (No. 851087)
Full disclosure, I have a subscription to BRC for over a year now. It's the best coffee for me that isn't bitter.
I'm cutting this guy some slack. I remember Rush saying that when he was beginning to do interviews after a few years in radio, he thought his audience loved him, so will the media. And boy was he wrong. Don't you remember how they double crossed him?!? How THEY tried to mix his words and tried to make him sound inept?
Lighten up a little....
13 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Bazi 7/20/2021 7:28:55 AM (No. 851126)
Considering the photos he posts on Instagram, I don't think he'll be wooing Starbuck's zealots anytime soon. Lots of huntin'.shootin', fishin', and eatin'.No catchin' and releasin'. If anything, I expect he'll be cancelled.
4 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
pearlyjo 7/20/2021 7:35:05 AM (No. 851130)
Was this company paid a visit by the Feds any time after the Rittenhouse event? I wonder.
10 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
NamVet70 7/20/2021 7:48:12 AM (No. 851141)
When you find yourself getting stuck in a hole, quit digging. I think this guy has dug his hole so deep he can't get out no matter what he tries. He had a good deal going for a while but then he caved to the left. There is no way to erase that.
21 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
GO3 7/20/2021 8:08:49 AM (No. 851157)
Agree with #6. Filling a niche doesn't necessarily mean the management has a philosophical kinship with whatever the market they are playing to. I have to admit though BRC actually provides a good product and this puts them head and shoulders above veterans who shill cheap sunglasses and frying pans.
3 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
Rama41 7/20/2021 8:17:38 AM (No. 851168)
I heard his interview on the radio the other day and I'm cutting him some slack. His only mistake was talking to The Evil New York Times.
4 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
J F Ackerman 7/20/2021 8:45:56 AM (No. 851195)
DOD gives advice on symbolism? Smells not like coffee but another government infiltration operation. My bet is this company is a dummy front for intelligence gathering on dedicated supporters of our 2nd Amendment.
8 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
red1066 7/20/2021 8:51:10 AM (No. 851200)
My guess is that they know whose buying their coffee, and it's not for the most part people with a conservative viewpoint. Naming your company black rifle doesn't make it a conservative company.
4 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Laotzu 7/20/2021 9:03:09 AM (No. 851211)
This is what happens when instinctual conservatives without an ideological, intellectual or historical conservative foundation try to be one of the cool kids with the mass media prom committee. Your values start getting manipulated and you get played like a violin by the best propagandists to ever have walked the earth.
Time to start listening to some Prager or reading some Mark Steyn, Mr. Hafer. At this point, you're nothing more than an extreme hobbyist -- like a fanatic golfer or dog owner. That doesn't make you a conservative.
In the meantime, get bent.
9 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
felixcat 7/20/2021 9:23:05 AM (No. 851242)
Well #13 - BRC did play to a specific market - Americans who love their country and veterans so if you're going to pitch to a certain group then your management should back it up. in words and actions. BTW - one of these veterans a few years ago who was pitching those cheap sunglasses was doing it because he needed the income after being somewhat limited in employment options for his role in the Benghazi attacks and his criticism of Obama and Hillary Clinton. That veteran is Kris “Tanto” Paronto.
Sad to see Pete Hegseth on Fox this weekend interview Evan and no questions about his interview.
10 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
zephyrgirl 7/20/2021 9:27:33 AM (No. 851244)
Hafer could have distanced himself from extremists by simply saying "we don't condone extremists of any stripe, nor are we responsible for the behavior of every individual who wears our clothing" referred all future questions to that statement, and gone back to roasting coffee. Instead, he decided to mouth off to the Slimes (probably in hopes of expanding his customer base), stepped in it, and is trying desperately to unsay what he said. As for the question from the article, "how much longer will Black Rifle Coffee’s customers continue to take Hafer at his word?" The answer from my DH came yesterday - he cancelled his Black Rifle subscription.
12 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
raphaela 7/20/2021 9:52:30 AM (No. 851261)
The fact that his has a liberal organization like ActBlue, a Dem company that funnels money to BLM, to manage his IT and social media is the nail in the coffin. He is a rino at best and a liberal in sheep's clothing at worst. I've never seen one of their shops but I surely wouldn't purchase their coffee or merchandise. If you want to support veterans find a good organization and give directly to them. Don't feed the Beast is my personal recommendation.
11 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
bigfatslob 7/20/2021 9:53:26 AM (No. 851264)
Who was the steroid laden, tattooed, military wannabe trying to distance himself from, paying customers? If I owned a truck dealership and a snowflake electric car driver came in, wanted a gas guzzling pickup I'd sell it to them, take their money and tell them to tell all their friends. You are not in business to choose your customers but attract and please them. Who knows what BRC owner intended but it was not success that's for sure.
2 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
DCGIRL 7/20/2021 9:58:20 AM (No. 851266)
Reminds me of the SCOTTeVest that was advertised on Fox. The CEO came out and call all the people that watched Fox idiots, low life individuals. Well, that company tanked and was taken off Fox. This jerk sounds similar to the CEO moron at SCOTTeVest. I will never purchase that coffee. I'll go to Starbucks first. At least we know where Starbucks is coming from.
5 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
MDConservative 7/20/2021 9:59:04 AM (No. 851268)
Funny, isn't it...people who wouldn't trust the NYT to report the ball scores accurately are willing to jump on an ill-advised interview to raise hell with a company owner? By the same token, one reaps what one sows.
2 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
smidgen 7/20/2021 10:30:01 AM (No. 851293)
BRC is preparing to open a brick and mortar place in this town. Very conservative area and chock-a-block full of active and retired military. Installations everywhere...Egllin, Hurlburt, Duke Field, EOD school...just goes on and on.
Good luck with this venture!
1 person likes this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
Califedup 7/20/2021 10:47:50 AM (No. 851304)
#9 - Nope. No lightening up at this point. That kind of thinking is a losing strategy against our enemies. We are in a war for survival with the communist death democrats who want to strip us of all of our rights and property. No cutting slack for Black Rifle Coffee. Their words and actions speak what they are really all about. No more compromises with the enemy and that means no more Black Rifle Coffee.
7 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
Kate318 7/20/2021 10:59:25 AM (No. 851314)
I absolutely love that the left has defined St. Michael the Archangel as “white supremacy.” Not because it is, but because it means that that particular, very powerful message of good crushing evil is getting to them. They KNOW, on some level, that THEY are the evil, and they are afraid. And so, they should be.
3 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
TXknitter 7/20/2021 11:00:49 AM (No. 851315)
I checked this guy out. FEC filings show he gave money to Obama. No real diehard Flag flying, veteran and military supporting, halfway well-read guy who talked as TOUGH as this guy did would have done that. Note the other side is never going to reveal a Starbucks CEO be caught dead giving money to Trump! People are not trying to be mean to the guy. We are just tired of phonies. HE sat down with the NYT. He said what he said. They didn’t even have to push him. He is responsible for what he said.
12 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
clayusmcret 7/20/2021 11:20:29 AM (No. 851328)
I'll stick with my Dunkin Donut grounds. I don't know their politics but they don't pretend to be one thing while being another.
4 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
AltaD 7/20/2021 11:23:04 AM (No. 851331)
FTA: Think about that. An iconic Biblical figure, the angel who will lead the forces of Good to its final victory over Evil (see Revelation 12:7-9), is labeled an extremist symbol by some toad in the Pentagon, and the company immediately kowtows.
He can claim the NYTimes interview has been misinterpreted but there's no misinterpreting the fact his company dropped the St. Michael design to appease leftists.
6 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
Roscoelewis 7/20/2021 11:37:00 AM (No. 851340)
I buy a certain product because I like it, not because of the package label or advertisement gimmicks. For me, the best coffee I've found is 8'Oclock Columbian whole bean. A cop that works down the hall from me drinks Black Rifle. I'll try a cup of her Black Rifle sometime.
0 people like this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
akudaq 7/20/2021 11:42:39 AM (No. 851347)
I'm in Alaska, but I order Community coffee from way down south.
2 people like this.
Reply 32 - Posted by:
JackBurton 7/20/2021 12:51:08 PM (No. 851419)
Wouldn't be the first time a major, liberal, media entity decided to wreck something conservative with lies.
The old 'fake news.'
0 people like this.
Reply 33 - Posted by:
DVC 7/20/2021 1:13:12 PM (No. 851447)
#9 may well have a good point, and as I said in my first post on this report, it was VERY unclear exactly WHO he wanted to not be a customer.
But...why would he block Kurt Schlichter? THAT is bizarre. Incompetent error if he is an actual conservative businessman.
I don't buy coffee, but I think we should let this play out a bit. The guy may be a better coffee guy than he is at dealing with the Enemedia trying to wreck his business. There may well be a lot more to this story, and it may be another Enemedia smear job.
0 people like this.
Reply 34 - Posted by:
GO3 7/20/2021 1:22:13 PM (No. 851458)
Yes, people have to make a living, and fronting a product is a way to earn bucks. Just understand one’s background and experience may lead some to equate glasses for GIs, which are ballistics upwards of $200.00 retail, with glasses for $19.95 though not specifically stated.
As to veterans and political leanings remember one-third of the military voted for Obama in 2012. The military is not a monolithic conservative voting block.
1 person likes this.
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