Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii

What Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii does

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is a privately held franchise brand and direct-to-consumer coffee retailer specializing in premium Hawaiian coffee, founded in 1989 on the Big Island of Hawaii and currently operating more than 30 franchised café locations across 14 U.S. states. The brand is owned by Royal Aloha Coffee, LLC, which acquired the rights in 2019 and relaunched it in 2020 with a refreshed logo, packaging, and store design. AWA Investments serves as both Royal Aloha Coffee Company's largest investor and an active multi-unit franchisee, operating five stores across Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and Alabama. The company sources coffee through longstanding relationships with multi-generational Hawaiian farmers across Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Moloka'i, Kona, and Ka'u, supporting 100% Kona, 100% Hawaiian, and signature blend SKUs.

The business runs a dual-channel revenue model: a franchise system requiring a three-store minimum development commitment, $1.5M net worth, and $500K liquid capital per franchisee, plus a Shopify-powered DTC storefront selling whole bean and single-serve coffee, apparel, drinkware, accessories, dry rubs, and gift cards. A tiered Subscribe & Save program (the Bad Ass Coffee Club) offers 5/10/15% discounts at 2/3/4+ subscriptions with free economy shipping under $20 and a 1–8 week delivery cadence. Supporting technology is conventional e-commerce infrastructure — Cloudflare for CDN/security, Omnisend for email marketing and analytics, Gorgias for customer support, and FedEx SmartPost for last-mile shipping — with no disclosed AI capabilities, no public API, and no mobile app.

For 2026, the company is targeting 25–30 new store openings spanning traditional cafés and non-traditional formats (trailers, food trucks, kiosks, and captive-audience venues in airports, sporting arenas, grocery stores, and shopping malls), with active expansions into Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, Wisconsin, and Kaimuki (Hawaii), and emerging territories identified in Colorado and Texas. Mission-driven merchandising is woven into checkout through the "Bad Ass For Good" programs (Love for Maui, Cup O' Joe for a Soldier with Soldiers' Angels and USO, Give a Hoof for donkey sanctuaries), and corporate gifting plus an Ohana Rewards loyalty program complete the customer-facing ecosystem.

Name

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii

Legal name

Royal Aloha Coffee, LLC

Website

https://badasscoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is a privately held franchise brand and direct-to-consumer retailer of premium Hawaiian-sourced coffee, operating 30+ franchised cafés across 14 U.S. states and a Shopify-powered e-commerce and subscription business under owner Royal Aloha Coffee, LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Retail

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB), Beverages-to-Go (Coffee, Smoothies, Juices, Fountain/Dispensed) (CRAHAKAI), Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks (THAFADAK)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee retail
• Hawaiian coffee beans
• Coffee franchise
• Coffee subscription service
• Branded coffee merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Centennial

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Café / Retail Sales (Franchise-Operated): Revenue from in-store coffee, blended drinks, food and merchandise sales at franchised Bad Ass Coffee café locations across the U.S. Includes limited-time-offering seasonal menus.
2. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce (Coffee, Merchandise, Accessories): Online sales of Hawaiian green/coffee beans (12-oz bags, 2.5-lb bags, 3-oz bags, single-serve cups), apparel, drinkware, brewing accessories, gift baskets, gift cards and dry rubs via Shopify storefront.
3. Subscribe & Save (Bad Ass Coffee Club): Recurring coffee subscription program with tiered discounts (5%/10%/15%) and free shipping on recurring orders; predictable, recurring revenue from coffee drinkers shipping every 1–8 weeks.
4. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise development fees, ongoing royalties, and brand/operating system revenue from the franchise model with a three-store minimum development commitment per franchisee.
5. Online Store Gift Cards: Digital gift cards for the online store sold in $15, $25, $50, $75 and $100 denominations (separate from in-store gift cards).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is a specialty coffee brand that sources, roasts, and sells 100% Kona, 100% Hawaiian, and signature blended coffee through franchised cafés across 14 U.S. states and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store. Its revenue is anchored by franchised café retail sales, online coffee and merchandise sales, a tiered Subscribe & Save subscription program (Bad Ass Coffee Club), and franchise development fees and royalties from a multi-store franchise system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hawaiian Coffee (100% Kona, 100% Hawaiian, Signature Blends, Flavored, Decaf)
• Bad Ass Coffee Club Subscription (Subscribe & Save)

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Biggby Coffee: Mid-sized U.S. specialty coffee franchise (~300+ units) operating a similar café + multi-unit franchise model. Highly comparable in franchise structure, unit size, and growth orientation, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• PJ's Coffee of New Orleans: Specialty coffee franchise with similar unit count band (~150 units) and southern-U.S. growth focus. Comparable on franchise model, café store format, and DTC coffee/merch e-commerce presence.
• 7 Brew Coffee: Fast-growing drive-thru specialty coffee franchise that scaled from small footprint to several hundred units in a few years. Highly relevant comp for unit-growth velocity, multi-unit franchisee economics, and aggressive expansion playbook.
• Black Rock Coffee Bar: Specialty coffee franchise operating ~150+ locations across the western U.S. with a comparable café store model, franchised unit growth, and DTC coffee subscription program — directly comparable on business model and customer profile.
• Scooter's Coffee: Drive-thru specialty coffee franchise with ~1,000+ locations backed by Keurig Dr Pepper. Comparable franchise model, Midwest-to-national expansion trajectory, and DTC coffee subscription engagement mechanics.
• Black Rifle Coffee Company: Mission-driven specialty coffee brand with strong DTC subscription business, retail café presence, and lifestyle-brand positioning. Comparable on subscription tier mechanics, mission-driven marketing, and café + DTC omnichannel model.
• Big Island Coffee Roasters: Hawaiian-origin specialty coffee roaster with direct farmer relationships on the Big Island. Highly comparable on Hawaiian sourcing, single-origin/Kona positioning, and DTC roasted-bean subscription business.

Broad incumbents

• Dutch Bros Coffee: Public (NYSE: BROS) drive-thru coffee chain with ~900+ locations and a strong loyalty/subscription app. Larger scale and broader market coverage, but the most relevant U.S. specialty coffee incumbent comparable on customer demographic and franchise-vs-corporate mix.

Emerging players

• Green Beans Coffee: Specialty coffee operator focused on captive-audience locations (military bases, airports, travel plazas). Comparable to Bad Ass Coffee's non-traditional expansion strategy into airports, arenas, grocery stores, and travel plazas.

Regional players

• Hawaiian Sun: Established Hawaii-based consumer brand with mainland distribution and gift-basket channels. Comparable as a Hawaii-origin brand leveraging Hawaiian provenance for premium mainland positioning and gift/corporate-gifting revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BadAssCoffeeOfHawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii