Black Rifle Coffee Sued Over “America’s Coffee” Slogan and Flag on Beans Grown Abroad

A proposed class action filed on November 3, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California says Black Rifle Coffee Company’s “America’s Coffee” slogan and USA flag packaging mislead shoppers into thinking its coffee is made in the USA.

The claims

In Bakker v. Black Rifle Coffee Co., No. 2:25-cv-03193, plaintiffs Justin Bakker and Noah Lundgren allege that none of the company’s coffee is grown or produced in the USA. ClassAction.org reported that the complaint says Black Rifle sources beans from countries such as Guatemala and Brazil and that its role is mainly to roast and bag them. A side-panel statement that the coffee is roasted in the USA is, the plaintiffs say, too small to correct the front-of-bag message.

“Nearly the entire process for making Defendants’ coffee—from growing and harvesting the coffee cherries to producing the dried, green coffee beans—occurs outside of the United States.”

Complaint, Bakker v. Black Rifle Coffee Co.

The suit relies on California’s Made in USA statute, Business and Professions Code section 17533.7, and on New York’s general false advertising law, read together with the FTC’s Made in USA Labeling Rule. It seeks to represent buyers in California and New York. The claims are allegations and have not been proven.

Why it matters for Made in USA

The case tests whether a slogan and a flag, without the words “Made in USA,” count as a USA origin claim. The complaint points to FTC guidance that a flag can convey USA origin on its own or with other words. Coffee can be grown in the USA only in small areas such as Hawaii, California and Puerto Rico, so most USA coffee brands roast imported beans.

For those brands, a qualified statement such as “roasted in the USA from imported beans” on the front of the package is the clearest way to avoid an implied origin claim.

FAQ

What does the Black Rifle Coffee lawsuit claim?

That the “America’s Coffee” slogan and flag imagery imply the coffee is made in the USA, though the beans are grown and processed abroad.

Where was it filed?

In the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on November 3, 2025.

Can a flag alone be a Made in USA claim?

The FTC has said a USA flag can convey a USA origin claim on its own or together with other words and images.