CULTURE + POLITICS

Black Rifle Coffee Company Cannot Shake Kyle Rittenhouse

As the brand grows, it struggles to pull itself up from its white extremist bootstraps

Often referred to as the Starbucks of the Right, the Black Rifle Coffee Company said, “Kyle Rittenhouse drinks the best coffee in America.” While Hafer claimed, “I would never want my brand to be represented in that way, shape or form,” he only did so after the company lost thousands of their clientele. Nevertheless, despite the controversy, their company continues to grow. Last year, they made “$163 million in sales.”

Black Rifle Coffee created a pro-second amendment brand, often portraying images of guns and skulls on t-shirts and hats. No need to guess which side of the culture war they find themselves on. Their brand appeals to run-of-the-mill conservatives but also extremists like Rittenhouse who used his coronavirus stimulus check to buy a rifle, allegedly shooting and killing two men and injuring one more. These white men were part of a large crowd of protesters who showed up to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, who an officer shot seven times in the back.

Along with many right-wing groups, Rittenhouse showed up to supposedly help the police officers maintain control over the area. Then, things took a dark turn. In the aftermath, many conservatives applauded his actions and called him a hero. Black Rifle Coffee knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to support him.

Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with multiple counts of homicide and weapons offenses, but right-wing groups have rallied to his cause, celebrating him as a hero who sought to protect Kenosha from destructive rioting and who fired in self-defense. The events have become a litmus test for a deeply divided nation (Washington Post).

There’s no doubt Black Rifle Coffee wanted to attract young white men like Rittenhouse to buy into the brand and become loyal, latte-sipping customers. They just don’t like the blowback, which they described as unexpected. It turns out supporting white extremists is bad for business. They want to clean up their image after the fact. But no matter how hard they squirm, Black Rifle cannot shake themselves from Rittenhouse.

“Zip-tie guy,” one of the insurrectionists who came to the capital prepared to kidnap state officials wore one of their hats. While Black Rifle Coffee pushes back on the idea that they condone this behavior, their branding and past statements paint a different picture. In an attempt to create a right-wing alternative to Starbucks, they’ve created a safe space for right-wing extremists who want to distance themselves from so-called “latte-liberals.”

Kyle Rittenhouse is on-brand for Black Rifle Coffee

Companies carefully curate the image they show to the public. When coffee clubs like Black Rifle Coffee make millions in profit each year, they can afford to curate their products and culture to match their clientele. In the pictures above, we can see images of soldiers, knives with brass knuckles attached, and men fighting on the walls of the Black Rife Salt Lake City art department. While as a nation, we should honor the veterans who sacrifice their lives to protect America, I would argue we shouldn’t glorify the violence used to secure our freedoms.

For one, America has gotten itself into some controversial wars. So, while everyone respects veterans, not everyone agrees with the political reasons for entering into each conflict. In other words, everyone does not view each death as a righteous kill. Americans, including some veterans, protested Vietnam, and as a Millennial, most of my contemporaries condemned the war in the middle east as painful and unnecessary. From a branding perspective, Black Rifle seems to appeal to veterans and their fans, some of which seem to relish the violence involved in that service. However, from an advertisers’ perspective, they did a great job.

There’s just one problem; their brand strays from pro-second amendment to pro-extremist when representatives like Hafer claim “Kyle Rittenhouse drinks the best coffee in America.”

Black Rifle is a veteran-owned company that claims to cater to a clientele who “love America.” However, you cannot love America while. also supporting right-wing extremists like Rittenhouse and the men who stormed the capital. Look, we all have our various beliefs and respective political agendas. However, brands should be cautious about endorsing acts of violence, especially against unarmed people.

Since that night in Kenosha, U.S. police and public officials donated to Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense fund, a website’s data breach revealed. Black Rifle cannot shake Rittenhouse because supporting him and the insurrectionists is on-brand for American conservatives in the aftermath of Trump’s presidency. So, by all means, drink up if you support veterans glorifying violence and endorse Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense. Just know what you're getting yourself into.

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