Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee partner to erase $35M in medical debt veterans and first responders. Published November 9, 2026 10:04 AM MST Former Navy Seal and Leader of Operation "Debt of Gratitude" Bear Handlon joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss the annual fundraising campaign that aims to eliminate medical debt for U.S. veterans and first responders. The brief. * * Veteran-founded brands Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company have partnered with Operation Debt of Gratitude to erase up to $35 million in medical debt for veterans and - for the first time - first responders, in honor of America's 250th anniversary. * Through Veterans Day, November 11, both companies are donating 100% of their online sales profits to partner organization ForgiveCo, which buys and permanently abolishes qualifying debt. Two companies founded by military veterans are joining forces to eliminate up to $35 million in medical debt for thousands of America's military veterans and first responders. By the numbers: Born Primitive, a premium apparel and footwear brand, and Black Rifle Coffee Company are working with Operation Debt of Gratitude (ODG), a veteran medical debt relief campaign that Born Primitive started in 2024 and since that time has erased more than $50 million in medical debt for more than 25,000 veterans. What they're saying: "FOX 10 Phoenix has always tried to leverage the platform to do some good, particularly for the veteran and first responder communities. And this was an idea that came up. To do something a little different around Veterans Day. And FOX 10 Phoenix thought, let's pay off some medical bills and hopefully alleviate some of the financial burdens from these people that have served their country. And over the last two years, it just continues to grow, said Bear Handlon, cofounder and CEO of Born Primitive and former Navy SEAL. For the first time this year, in honor of America's 250th anniversary, the campaign is extending debt relief to first responders. "We're just making sure that we're taking care of the people who serve our country. We're proud to include first responders this year as well. Being the 250th anniversary of our country, we wanted to make sure we acknowledge the people keeping us safe here at home as well," said Handlon. What you can do: Through Veterans Day, November 11, Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company are donating 100% of their online profits to the campaign - up to $35 million in total debt relief with partner ForgiveCo, a public benefit corporation, which identifies and verifies qualifying medical debt, purchases it, and permanently forgives it, using the funds to wipe out qualifying medical debt. Operation Debt of Gratitude wipes out $341,702 in medical debt for US Army veteran. Why you should care: According to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau study, one in four young veterans had medical debt in collections with research from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finding that 11.5% of veterans ages 25 to 64 were very worried about their ability to pay medical bills if they became sick or were injured. (L-R) Bear Handlon, cofounder and CEO of Born Primitive and former Navy SEAL Center, Mara C., a U.S. Army veteran and Gold Star spouse from Denver, and Mat Best, Co Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Black Rifle Coffee Company (Photo Credit: Born Mara C., a U.S. Army veteran and Gold Star spouse from Denver, is grateful for the assistance she received during last year's campaign. After losing her husband and fellow veteran in Iraq, and then surviving a car accident, she was left with $341,702 in medical debt. That debt was paid off through Operation Debt of Gratitude. What they're saying: "I don't think I can ever fully put into words what that moment did for me," said Mara C. "It wasn't just financial. It was like someone reached into the exhaustion I'd been carrying and said: you don't have to carry this alone anymore." How it works: ForgiveCo recipients are selected at random from those whose debt qualifies. There is no application, and each veteran or first responder learns of the relief by letter. Recipients with questions about their letter can contact the Operation Debt of Gratitude team at www.operationdebtofgratitude.org. To take part and support Operation Debt of Gratitude, shop online at Born Primitive or Black Rifle Coffee Company through Nov. 11. Only online purchases at bornprimitive.com and blackriflecoffee.com count toward the campaign; in store and retail purchases are not included. Supporters can also donate directly, with every dollar paying off $50 in qualifying medical debt. For more information or to donate, visit www.operationdebtofgratitude.org. The Source: This article includes information from Born Primitive, Black Rifle Coffee Company, and an interview with Born Primitive cofounder and CEO Bear Handlon. This story was reported from Orlando.

Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee partner to erase $35M in medical debt veterans and first responders. Published November 9, 2026 12:04 PM EST Former Navy Seal and Leader of Operation "Debt of Gratitude" Bear Handlon joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss the annual fundraising campaign that aims to eliminate medical debt for U.S. veterans and first responders. The brief. * * Veteran-founded brands Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company have partnered with Operation Debt of Gratitude to erase up to $35 million in medical debt for veterans and - for the first time - first responders, in honor of America's 250th anniversary. * Through Veterans Day, November 11, both companies are donating 100% of their online sales profits to partner organization ForgiveCo, which buys and permanently abolishes qualifying debt. Two companies founded by military veterans are joining forces to eliminate up to $35 million in medical debt for thousands of America's military veterans and first responders. By the numbers: Born Primitive, a premium apparel and footwear brand, and Black Rifle Coffee Company are working with Operation Debt of Gratitude (ODG), a veteran medical debt relief campaign that Born Primitive started in 2024 and since that time has erased more than $50 million in medical debt for more than 25,000 veterans. What they're saying: "LiveNow has always tried to leverage the platform to do some good, particularly for the veteran and first responder communities. And this was an idea that came up. To do something a little different around Veterans Day. And LiveNow thought, let's pay off some medical bills and hopefully alleviate some of the financial burdens from these people that have served their country. And over the last two years, it just continues to grow, said Bear Handlon, cofounder and CEO of Born Primitive and former Navy SEAL. For the first time this year, in honor of America's 250th anniversary, the campaign is extending debt relief to first responders. "We're just making sure that we're taking care of the people who serve our country. We're proud to include first responders this year as well. Being the 250th anniversary of our country, we wanted to make sure we acknowledge the people keeping us safe here at home as well," said Handlon. What you can do: Through Veterans Day, November 11, Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company are donating 100% of their online profits to the campaign - up to $35 million in total debt relief with partner ForgiveCo, a public benefit corporation, which identifies and verifies qualifying medical debt, purchases it, and permanently forgives it, using the funds to wipe out qualifying medical debt. Operation Debt of Gratitude wipes out $341,702 in medical debt for US Army veteran. Why you should care: According to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau study, one in four young veterans had medical debt in collections with research from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finding that 11.5% of veterans ages 25 to 64 were very worried about their ability to pay medical bills if they became sick or were injured. (L-R) Bear Handlon, cofounder and CEO of Born Primitive and former Navy SEAL Center, Mara C., a U.S. Army veteran and Gold Star spouse from Denver, and Mat Best, Co Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Black Rifle Coffee Company (Photo Credit: Born Mara C., a U.S. Army veteran and Gold Star spouse from Denver, is grateful for the assistance she received during last year's campaign. After losing her husband and fellow veteran in Iraq, and then surviving a car accident, she was left with $341,702 in medical debt. That debt was paid off through Operation Debt of Gratitude. What they're saying: "I don't think I can ever fully put into words what that moment did for me," said Mara C. "It wasn't just financial. It was like someone reached into the exhaustion I'd been carrying and said: you don't have to carry this alone anymore." How it works: ForgiveCo recipients are selected at random from those whose debt qualifies. There is no application, and each veteran or first responder learns of the relief by letter. Recipients with questions about their letter can contact the Operation Debt of Gratitude team at www.operationdebtofgratitude.org. To take part and support Operation Debt of Gratitude, shop online at Born Primitive or Black Rifle Coffee Company through Nov. 11. Only online purchases at bornprimitive.com and blackriflecoffee.com count toward the campaign; in store and retail purchases are not included. Supporters can also donate directly, with every dollar paying off $50 in qualifying medical debt. For more information or to donate, visit www.operationdebtofgratitude.org. The Source: This article includes information from Born Primitive, Black Rifle Coffee Company, and an interview with Born Primitive cofounder and CEO Bear Handlon. This story was reported from Orlando.

Weekly Coffee News: Costa Rica harvest concerns + restoring iconic Coffee Sign. Welcome to DCN's Weekly Coffee News! Subscribe here for all the latest coffee industry news. Also, check out the latest career opportunities at CoffeeIndustryJobs.com. El Niño Prompts Lower Harvest Estimates in Costa Rica Costa Rica's coffee institute, ICAFE, has observed reductions of 10% to 15% in regional harvest estimates as irregular rainfall and heat affect coffee development, according to a CR Hoy report. ICAFE agronomic deputy manager Miguel Barquero said irregular rainfall disrupted fertilization and affected the quality and weight of green coffee intended for export. The findings, also reported by The Tico Times, project reductions from earlier estimates, rather than a confirmed year-over-year production decline. They follow an earlier USDA forecast for modest production growth. Rainforest Alliance Introduces Shareable EUDR Producer Report Certification nonprofit Rainforest Alliance has introduced an EUDR Producer Report that lets certified coffee and cocoa producers download and share existing documentation with prospective buyers. The package includes farm geolocation data, deforestation risk assessments and legality information, allowing producers to share records separately from transactions in the organization's traceability platform. Fair Trade USA Receives $600,000 for Farmer Information Platform Oakland, California-based nonprofit Fair Trade USA has received a $600,000 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation to develop an AI-powered platform combining climate, market and farm information. The project builds on a dashboard introduced with Colombian coffee farmers this year. Campaign Seeks $430,000 to Relight Roanoke's H&C Coffee Sign The Historical Society of Western Virginia has launched a $430,000 campaign to restore Roanoke, Virginia's H&C Coffee sign, which has been dark for approximately four years. According to a Cardinal News report, the campaign had raised $129,113 at its announcement. Kearney Finds Satisfied Coffee Machine Owners Open to Switching Management consulting firm Kearney found that 71% of surveyed U.S. consumers were open to changing their primary coffee machine type within two years, despite generally high satisfaction with their current setups. Its new coffee machine industry report combines research among more than 2,500 coffee drinkers across six countries. Black Rifle Shares Q3 Results, Plans to Sell Manchester Roastery Black Rifle Coffee Company reported third-quarter results, including a revenue increase of 7.3% to $108 million, and a net loss of $8.7 million, compared with $1.2 million a year earlier. The company also announced plans to close 12 company-operated coffee shops and signed an agreement to sell its Manchester, Tennessee, roasting facility to a manufacturing partner. Dutch Bros Plans 250 Openings for 2027 U.S. drive-through beverage chain Dutch Bros reported third-quarter revenue of $549.8 million, up 29.8% from a year earlier, and net income of $37.2 million, up from $27.3 million. The chain opened 48 shops during the quarter, bringing its total to 1,273, and announced a goal of approximately 250 openings in 2027. Swiss Water Reports Higher Volumes, Revenue and Profit Delta, British Columbia-based decaffeination company Swiss Water reported a 16% increase in third-quarter processing volumes, while revenue rose 5% to C$65.9 million. Net income increased to C$937,000, compared with C$216,000 a year earlier. Podium Coffee Club Launches Competition-Based Roaster Index U.S. subscription service Podium Coffee Club has launched the Podium Index, a free ranking of American roasters based on results from five coffee competitions. The index combines finishes from the U.S. Roaster Championship, two Golden Bean competitions, Good Food Awards and Global Coffee Awards, weighting results by competition and recency. Beach City Coffee Brings Canned Cold Brew to Bristol Farms Redondo Beach, California-based Beach City Coffee has introduced its Cold Brew for the Coast at all 14 Bristol Farms stores in Southern California, marking the canned product's first retail placement. Icymi. Here are some of DCN's top stories from the past week...