Coffee or Die Magazine

What Coffee or Die Magazine does

Coffee or Die Magazine is a digital media publication launched in June 2018 by Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRC, Inc.), a veteran-owned coffee company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The publication covers military news, veteran stories, military history, culture, and entertainment, often embedding reporters with troops in operational zones including Iraq and Afghanistan. Its editorial staff includes Marine Corps, Army, and Special Forces veterans, positioning the brand around authentic military journalism that traditional outlets do not provide.

The publication's product surface spans three channels: a primary website (coffeeordie.com) publishing articles across editorial categories, an active YouTube channel with 47 recent videos covering military history documentaries and operations coverage, and a free weekly newsletter called The PressCheck distributing content to subscribers. Coffee or Die also operates associated subscription merchandise programs through its parent: the BRCC Shirt Club (monthly limited-edition T-shirts by veteran artists) and the BRCC Sticker Club (monthly veteran-designed stickers), both leveraging BRCC's retail outposts and e-commerce infrastructure for fulfillment.

Coffee or Die generates revenue through advertising, subscription merchandise collaborations under the Shirt Club and Sticker Club programs, and broader brand-marketing synergies with its parent company. The publication functions as a subsidiary media brand under BRCC rather than a standalone business entity, with no independent institutional funding, separate headcount, or standalone revenue disclosure. Its strategic value to BRCC lies in brand engagement with the veteran and military-enthusiast audience, veteran artist partnerships that extend the parent company's merchandise ecosystem, and content-driven traffic that supports the broader BRCC commercial flywheel.

Name

Coffee or Die Magazine

Legal name

Coffee or Die (wholly owned by Black Rifle Coffee Co., BRC, Inc.)

Website

https://coffeeordie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coffee or Die Magazine is a veteran-operated digital media publication owned by Black Rifle Coffee Company, covering military news, history, and veteran culture via website, YouTube, and weekly newsletter, with subscription merchandise programs featuring veteran artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Military and Veteran Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Digital military journalism
• Veteran media content
• Online lifestyle magazine
• Military history videos
• Veteran news publication

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Content and Advertising: The magazine generates revenue through digital content consumption with advertising placements targeting veterans, military enthusiasts, and freedom-oriented consumers. Content categories include military, history, culture, entertainment, and veterans topics.
2. Merchandise Collaborations - Shirt Club: Monthly subscription-style merchandise service featuring limited-edition T-shirts designed by external veteran artists. Members receive exclusive designs not available at BRCC outposts or on the company website. The service was rebranded from Merch Club to Shirt Club to feature artwork by veterans outside the company.
3. Merchandise Collaborations - Sticker Club: Monthly subscription service supplying members with one-of-a-kind stickers featuring veteran artist designs, similar structure to the Shirt Club program.
4. Newsletter Subscription - The PressCheck: Weekly newsletter providing subscribers with the latest content from Coffee or Die. Arms readers with essential news and stories on military and veteran community topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coffee or Die Magazine is an online lifestyle publication launched in June 2018 and wholly owned by Black Rifle Coffee Company, covering military news, veteran stories, military history, culture, and entertainment through editorial articles, video content on YouTube, and a free weekly newsletter (The PressCheck). The publication also supports subscription-based merchandise programs (BRCC Shirt Club and Sticker Club) that deliver limited-edition T-shirts and stickers designed by veteran artists exclusively to subscribers.

Product overview

Coffee or Die Magazine is a single unified product — an online lifestyle magazine published by Black Rifle Coffee Company. It publishes news articles, videos, and multimedia content focused on military, veterans, history, culture, and entertainment. The magazine also operates associated subscription products including The PressCheck weekly newsletter, and partners with the BRCC Shirt Club and BRCC Sticker Club for exclusive merchandise featuring veteran artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coffee or Die Magazine An award-winning veteran and active-duty news and military culture website publishing articles, videos, and multimedia content covering military, veterans, history, culture, and entertainment, with reporting from dangerous and austere locations including Iraq and Afghanistan. Targets individual consumers interested in military news and culture.
• The PressCheck Newsletter A free weekly email newsletter delivering the latest content from Coffee or Die, providing subscribers with essential news and stories on military and veteran community topics. Targets individual readers who want curated weekly updates.
• BRCC Shirt Club A monthly subscription service delivering limited-edition T-shirts designed by external veteran artists, with exclusive designs not available at BRCC retail outposts or on the company's website. Targets veteran-artist merchandise collectors and BRCC community members.
• BRCC Sticker Club

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Team Room DesignflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 January 2024Team Room Design, founded by Special Forces Team Sergeant Benny (last name withheld) and managed by his wife Arrycca as owner/CEO, partnered with BRCC for an exclusive T-shirt design. Benny previously created stickers for the BRCC Sticker Club before being invited to join the Shirt Club. The partnership highlights an operator on the shirt design with coffee and skull imagery.
• Thirty Seconds OutflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 December 2023Thirty Seconds Out, founded by former Navy SEAL Sean 'Evan' Evangelista in 2014, partnered with BRCC for an exclusive limited-edition T-shirt design featuring a Viking warrior theme with Nordic runes. The collaboration is part of the BRCC Shirt Club program, with designs only available to Shirt Club members. Evangelista is based in Ouray, Colorado, and runs the apparel company alongside working as an Apprentice Rock and Alpine guide.
• Grizzly ForgeflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 November 2023Grizzly Forge, operated by Army veteran Lucas O'Hara (8 years service, 2 tours as sniper with 3rd Infantry Division), partnered with BRCC for an exclusive limited-edition Shirt Club T-shirt featuring his signature knife designs including The Revenant blade and crossed tomahawks. O'Hara started his knife-making business after being commissioned by BRCC CEO Evan Hafer for coffee bag openers.
• Phaseline.CocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 April 2023Phaseline.Co, founded by Marine Corps veteran Spencer Zeisset (served 2017-2021 as infantryman), is BRCC's first partner in a new initiative to spotlight independent veteran artists through the Shirt Club and Sticker Club programs. The collaboration features skeleton soldier designs and a rendition of Coffee or Die's logo inspired by Benjamin Franklin's 'Join, or Die' cartoon. Zeisset founded the company in 2022 after transitioning from military service.
• Bad Moon Print PressflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBad Moon Print Press, a veteran artist operation, teamed up with BRCC for an exclusive limited-edition T-shirt design as part of the Shirt Club collaboration program.
• Black Rifle Coffee Company (Parent)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee or Die is wholly owned and published by Black Rifle Coffee Company. The magazine operates as BRCC's online lifestyle magazine launched in June 2018, covering topics focused on people, places, and things interesting to America's coffee drinkers. BRCC provides the platform, distribution (retail outposts and e-commerce), and brand infrastructure for Coffee or Die content and merchandise collaborations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Military Times: Established military-news publication covering defense, veterans affairs, and military culture. Comparable in editorial focus on service members and veterans, with stronger incumbent newsroom scale.
• We Are The Mighty: Veteran-focused digital media brand covering military stories, entertainment, and lifestyle. Directly comparable as a veteran-media editorial brand with video and social distribution.
• Task & Purpose: Digital military and veteran news publication covering service members, veterans, and military culture. Closest direct competitor in format (digital-first, military audience), though independent rather than coffee-brand-owned.
• Military.com: Large-scale military lifestyle and news site serving active-duty, veterans, and their families with news, benefits info, and culture content. Directly comparable audience and ad-supported media model.
• The War Horse: Nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on military, veterans, and national security. Comparable in editorial mission (independent military journalism) though structured as nonprofit vs. brand-owned.
• VFW Magazine: Official magazine of Veterans of Foreign Wars covering veterans, military history, and veteran-community news. Comparable as a print/digital veteran magazine with periodic content cadence.

Emerging players

• Recoil Magazine: Firearms, tactical, and outdoor lifestyle media brand with overlapping audience (veterans, 2A community, patriotic consumers). Comparable as a content-and-merch brand targeting the same cultural segment.
• Free Range American: Patriotic lifestyle and veteran-community brand covering 2A, outdoor, and veteran entrepreneurship. Comparable as a parallel veteran/patriotic-lifestyle media brand with similar audience and merch model.
• Soldier Systems: Niche military and tactical equipment media site covering operators, gear, and SOF topics. Comparable as a specialized military-interest publication with veteran-community overlap, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Art of Manliness: Established men's lifestyle publication covering culture, history, and self-improvement. Comparable as a long-running digital lifestyle magazine reaching a similar male, veteran-adjacent demographic though broader in topic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coffee-or-die-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Coffee or Die Magazine