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Would You Switch Your Coffee to Save Your Rights? (ft. Caliber Coffee)
Description
State of the Second hosts John and Kaylee sit down with Brian from Caliber Coffee, the coffee brand that now sits under Tactical Eats and shares ownership with Palmetto State Armory through JJE Capital. The conversation opens loose, with rapid-fire coffee questions, brewing-method debates, and a long, funny detour into 90s snacks, kids, and impulse buys. Then it turns to the real reason Caliber exists. Brian explains that money spent on the coffee goes right back into manufacturing guns and ammunition and into funding amicus briefs the PSA team is part of. The brand's motto, "freedom in every cup," is described not as a message but as the actual model. Through the Joe 2A Joe program, a portion of proceeds donates coffee to active-duty members, veterans, and first responders, with about three to four tons given away in the company's first year.
The heart of the episode is the idea Kaylee calls your "second vote": voting with your dollar. The hosts and Brian argue that consumers are increasingly choosing where their money goes once it leaves their account, and that a growing "parallel economy" lets people buy quality products from companies that are openly pro-America and pro-Second Amendment. Brian is candid that taking that stance can cost a brand shelf space, and his answer is blunt: if a store won't carry them because of who they are, they don't want that store. John pushes the convenience problem too, noting people grab the easy $8 Starbucks latte or a Coca-Cola-family energy drink rather than picking a brand that supports their values.
Brian also walks through the product line and his own path in. A former sports-partnerships professional, he accepted a dream job in Atlanta in March 2020 right as live sports and entertainment shut down, started making hot sauces during COVID, and was recruited by ownership to launch the coffee brand. Caliber is now in Food Lion, some Ace Hardware locations, and hundreds of independent retailers, with online subscriptions that have tripled. The lineup is expanding into Reload Energy drinks built on nostalgic 90s flavors with zero sugar and no artificial dyes, Bull Barrel beef jerky sold exclusively through PSA, and a future sauce line. Coffee runs about $14.99 a bag. The episode closes on the recurring pitch: supporting the mission can be as small as the energy drink or bag of jerky you were going to buy anyway, plus the standing plug for GOA's GOALS event in Knoxville on August 9th and 10th.
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Questions this episode answers
What is Caliber Coffee's relationship to Palmetto State Armory and JJE Capital?
Caliber Coffee sits under the Tactical Eats umbrella and shares ownership with Palmetto State Armory through JJE Capital. That common ownership is why buying the coffee ties directly into PSA's firearms and rights work.
Where does the money from Caliber Coffee and Tactical Eats products actually go?
Money spent on the coffee goes back into manufacturing guns and ammunition and into funding amicus briefs the PSA team is part of. Brian frames the brand's motto, "freedom in every cup," as the actual business model rather than just a slogan.
What is the Joe 2A Joe program and how much coffee has it donated?
Joe 2A Joe donates a portion of proceeds as coffee to active-duty members, veterans, and first responders. About three to four tons were given away in the company's first year.
What does Kaylee mean by your "second vote" and voting with your dollar?
Your second vote is the choice of where your money goes once it leaves your account, treating each purchase as a vote for the values a company stands for. Caliber's pitch is that buying from openly pro-America, pro-Second Amendment brands is