Coffee is the excuse
The reason is what it pays for.
Australians who have served, and the first responders who work alongside them, carry things that do not show up at a medical. The support for that is underfunded and hard to reach.
So we roast good coffee, sell it at a fair price, and send over 90% of the profit to the organisations doing that work. That is the business model. There is nothing else behind it.
Who is behind it
Ian Rawson served in the Royal Australian Air Force. He started Australian Warfighters Coffee in 2018 and has never drawn a wage from it.
That is not a slogan, it is the accounting. The money that would have been his salary goes where the rest of the profit goes.
The principle he built the business on is short enough to fit on a bag: people over profit.
Where the money goes
Over 90% of profit is donated to veteran and first responder mental health initiatives. Not a percentage of revenue, and not a percentage of one product line on one weekend of the year. Profit, across everything we sell, all year.
Recognition
We do not chase awards, but they are a useful signal that the work stands up to outside scrutiny.
- Commonwealth Bank Business of the Year, 2023
- Prince’s Trust Community Impact Award
- Golden Bean Competition, Bronze Medal
How we roast
We roast on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and send 400 to 500 kilograms a week across Australia and overseas.
Every blend is Fair Trade and organic certified, Rainforest Alliance certified, and graded to SCA specialty standards. Where we can buy direct from the farmer, we do.
Good cause, bad coffee is still bad coffee. The roasting has to stand on its own.
Who drinks it
Serving and ex-serving Defence members and their families. First responders. Workplaces that want their coffee order to mean something. And plenty of people who simply wanted a better bag of beans and stayed for the rest.
We also supply Alfred Hospital Melbourne, RSL Queensland, defence units and contractors, cafes and mobile coffee vans.