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The Joe Rogan ExperienceThe Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience #1546 - Evan Hafer & Mat Best

Special Forces combat veterans turned entrepreneurs Mat Best and Evan Hafer are co-founders of Black Rifle Coffee Company: a veteran-owned and operated premium, small-batch coffee roastery. When they're not busy at BRCC, you can hear them with co-host Jarred "JT" Taylor on the Free Range American podcast. @BlackRifleCoffeeCompany

Joe RoganhostEvan HaferguestMat Bestguest
Oct 6, 20202h 49mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

From Coffee Obsession To Combat Truths: Veterans Challenge Endless War

  1. Joe Rogan talks with Black Rifle Coffee founders Evan Hafer and Mat Best about Evan’s deep coffee obsession, their military and CIA backgrounds, and how that led to building a veteran-focused coffee company.
  2. They move from light stories about espresso machines in war zones into heavy critiques of government waste, armored vehicles, and the military‑industrial complex driving endless occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  3. A major section focuses on the hidden health costs of war—burn pits, TBIs, PTSD, cancer, and the failures of the VA—along with the nonprofit world backfilling what government neglects.
  4. They also dig into diet, fitness, and personal responsibility, linking physical health, discipline, and meaningful work with mental resilience and the courage to radically change your life path.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Deep obsession plus domain experience can become a powerful business moat.

Hafer’s decades‑long coffee obsession—down to grams, temperatures, and roasting on deployment—gave Black Rifle Coffee authenticity and product depth that customers immediately recognized as real.

Government spending in war zones often prioritizes optics and contracts over effectiveness.

They describe half‑million‑dollar armored vehicles and G‑Wagons that couldn’t be used because they drew fire, while simple, low‑profile solutions would have been more effective and cheaper.

Burn pits and toxic exposures are likely causing a wave of cancers and illnesses in veterans.

Both guests recount living beside 24/7 burn pits incinerating everything from plastics to fecal matter, and connect that to rising rare cancers and respiratory issues that remain under‑researched and underfunded.

The VA’s structure and incentives often fail the most severely wounded veterans.

They highlight cases like a double‑arm amputee losing full‑time caregiver support and months‑long waits for basic appointments, arguing nonprofits are forced to do work the government promised but doesn’t deliver.

Diet and movement are critical, underused tools for mental and physical health.

Rogan and Hafer emphasize high‑quality meat, avoiding seed oils and processed foods, and using exercise as primary therapy for anxiety and depression instead of defaulting to medication and junk food.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

You can’t have a politically correct war fighter. You can’t be politically correct and shoot people in the face.

— Evan Hafer

Politicians love to send 18‑ to 26‑year‑olds to war. What they hate is paying the fucking bill.

— Evan Hafer

Food is probably the most overused tool to deal with anxiety, and exercise is the most underused tool to deal with depression.

— Joe Rogan

I didn’t leave anything on the table. I pushed it as hard as I could with whatever was given to me.

— Evan Hafer

The hardest part is probably maintaining that cultural ecosystem as you scale, because you want people to be open and candid, not some stodgy, spreadsheet‑driven bullshit.

— Evan Hafer

Evan Hafer’s evolution from coffee nerd and Green Beret/CIA contractor to Black Rifle Coffee founderGovernment waste and mismanagement in war zones (armored vehicles, budgets, gear)Armored vehicles, personal security, and the culture of private/military protectionWar’s long‑term health impacts: burn pits, cancer, TBIs, PTSD, and VA failuresDiet, fasting, carnivore vs. plant‑based eating, and the American obesity crisisEndless wars, the military‑industrial complex, and bipartisan resistance to troop withdrawalsPurpose, leadership, toxic work cultures, and building an authentic veteran‑led company

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