FLEMING ISLAND — Would-be customers peered through windows and circled the drive-thru days leading up to the cafe’s highly anticipated grand opening Wednesday.

"We've had about 40 people pull around through the drive-thru to see if we were open,” said general manager Bill Faulk during the week-long training before opening day.

Faulk said it was sad to temporarily turn away such eager customers. Still, it was reassuring to know that the Clay County community had been looking forward to the opening of Black Rifle Coffee Company at its brick-and-mortar location at 1619 Doctors Inlet Road.

As the company’s third storefront location in Florida, Black Rifle is open for business.

Founded by veterans in 2014, Black Rifle was built upon the mission "to serve coffee and culture to the people who love America" and to "emancipate the American people from corporate coffee." The company grew popular and profitable through a direct-to-consumer online business model, and the company has since expanded to operate physical locations.

Faulk is from Nashville and has a career background in the restaurant industry. He also comes from a family that has served in the military and as a first responder, so he resonates with the company’s mission.

“It was a brand I could easily get behind. Once I did the research and tried the product, I realized it would be an opportunity and a place for me. Our values are different than other coffee cafes,” he said.  

From Café de Flore in Paris to Starbucks in Seattle, coffee culture usually leans left politically. Black Rifle stands out as an exception.

"We do things a little bit different. We're a no BS company," he said.

Black Rifle captured nationwide headlines when it countered Starbucks’ goal to “hire 10,000 refugees” by making its own promise to “hire 10,000 veterans.”

The coffee shop sells more than your classic cup of joe. Its menu features espresso varieties, black, green, and chai teas, cold brews, and frozen coffee creations. A gift shop along the side displays hats, hoodies, mugs, and other novelties.

Some of Faulk’s favorites are the Liberty Bell, sweet and caramelly, and the Smokey Joe, “like a campfire in a cup.”

Fleming Island’s newest coffee house is expected to be a hit considering NAS JAX to the north and Clay’s pro-military and pro-police mentalities.

Faulk has plans that extend beyond the register. One of his implicit goals is to give back to Clay's veterans, first responders, and residents, who have already been so welcoming to his business.