DD-214 Coffee [Veteran Vices]

Cory Grant served in the Navy, as a Petty Officer Second Class Electronics Technician. He was stationed in multiple countries across Western Europe, operating and maintaining microwave and cryptography equipment during the height of the Cold War. He served from 1977 to 1981, after which he was medically discharged.

Now, he continues to serve his fellow veterans through his brand DD-214 coffee. (For the uninitiated, a DD-214 is the Report of Separation that military members are issued when they leave service and return to civilian life.) When asked what prompted him to get into the coffee business, Grant says:

“I wanted to create a sustainable business that could provide jobs for disabled veterans and Gold Star family members, while also supporting homeless veterans. As I reached out to other business owners to get feedback and advice, I found we were almost always meeting up over a cup of coffee. Coffee helps power us through our day, but it also helps power conversations and connections.”

Right now, DD-214 offers three coffee blends. Their dark roast is called “Midrats,” which is military slang for Midnight Rations. A lighter roast called “Reveille” is also available, as is the decaffeinated “Taps” blend. Behind the beans, DD-214 is working diligently to help veterans in need. Their charitable focus right now is an organization known as Off-Road Outreach. 

Based in Fayetteville, North Carolina — the home of Fort Liberty, headquarters of both the XVIII Airborne Corps and Army Special Operations Command — Off-Road Outreach focuses on providing homeless vets with food, goods, and services. 

You can purchase DD-214 coffee directly from their website, listed at the right. While they’ve started with these three flagship blends, they hope to offer more variety and expand beyond just coffee in the future — with an eye on coffee-infused beer or spirits. 

We hope to see the results soon, but, in the meantime, we’ll happily raise a cup of joe to help homeless veterans. 

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