Coffee for A Cause
MAY 29, 2018 // PHILANTHROPY
Hello, Grille blog readers, my name is Branden Marty and I hopped on the site today to talk to you about my company, Veteran Roasters Cup O’ Joe Coffee. When you order a cup of joe (see what I did there) at Del Frisco’s Grille, you are supporting the homeless and chronically unemployed veterans we employ, which we think is pretty awesome. Since the coffee is made by us, it seemed fitting to tell you a little about who we are and why we do what we do.
The simple explanation of what we do is we serve artisanal coffee made by veterans – but to really understand us I’m going to add on to that. Veteran Roasters Cup O’ Joe Coffee (Cup O’ Joe for short) is more than a company, it’s a movement with two fundamental missions. Mission one – make great coffee for our consumers. Mission two – give veterans an opportunity to be on a team that works together to reach a common goal and provide them a structure and environment they were used to in the military. We provide our employees with skills and training in the coffee industry, professional & social connections necessary to be successful and much needed interaction with fellow veterans.
You might be wondering: “Branden, why are you so passionate about this? Coffee and advocacy seems like a very specific area of interest – how the heck did that happen?” Well readers, I have 13 years of Navy experience under my belt which is where my advocacy for veterans comes from. I was a pilot, Admiral’s Aide and program manager which took me all over the world. During my time serving I met many men and women with a similar mind set and work ethic as my own. In my last two years on active duty, I ran the Navy’s Wounded Warrior Program in the Midwest, specifically focusing on supporting our service members who could no longer serve because of a wound, illness or injury. I have always taken what I’ve learned during my service to help fellow veterans and make the transition back to their community as easy as possible.
The best part of my job is giving opportunities to men and women looking for a way to better their situation and life. When they were active in the military, their days had routine and they were a part of a team – for a lot of veterans who return home and find themselves homeless without a support structure, they lack both which can be hard to cope with. Our company can offer these men and women a place and position to get involved in something bigger than themselves and help them create their new normal. Best of all, there is a real sense of pride when our employees are complimented on our coffee – it reaffirms that they are doing something meaningful to help others.
I hope I was able to shed some light on what we do at Cup O’ Joe and why our mission is held so dearly to us, as well as Del Frisco’s Grille. We will always be proud of our work helping veterans in our community – like our motto says, they were on the ground for us, buy some grounds for them. Alright, Grille folks, I’ll give you back your blog now.
-Branden
ABOUT
Branden Marty is the owner of Veteran Roasters Cup O’ Joe Coffee, a company with two missions – roast the best dang coffee on the planet and find homeless or at-risk veterans to give them the opportunities in the coffee industry. Before entering the coffee industry, Branden served 13 years in the Navy as a pilot, Admiral’s Aide and program manager. He is an active veteran advocate, participating in organizations such as Rags of Honor, Combined Arms, and the Navy’s Wounded Warrior Program.