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Death Wish Coffee goes from small roastery to Amazon’s ‘most wished for’ brand

Written by Jasmine Glasheen

Photo: Death Wish Coffee Co.

In 2012, on the cusp of the so-called “retail apocalypse,” Death Wish Coffee Co. was founded in a small coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, New York. With the goal of creating the world’s strongest coffee, Death Wish Coffee’s owner, Mike Brown, experimented with Fair Trade, USDA certified organic Arabica and Robusta beans to create a high-caffeine blend 200 percent stronger than the average cup of joe. Today, Death Wish is Amazon.com’s “Most Wished For” coffee brand. It is also stocked in supermarkets across the country, including Price Chopper, Hannaford and Shop Rite, as well as being offered in 282 Safeway locations. Third-quarter projections show Death Wish being stocked in an additional 550 stores, from Northern California to New York City. On top of all this, Death Wish K-Cups will be rolling out in 900 Walmart stores beginning June 9, 2018. How did a small, local start-up grow such a cult following in just six years? According to owner and founder, Mike Brown, “Death Wish has an underground-like vibe, which has resonated with our fan base from the start. It has become more than just a beverage that fuels a person’s day — it has become a lifestyle. Throughout the years, our local New York following has branched out across the nation as well as internationally. Like all businesses that have followed a grassroots approach, word of mouth has been key to our growth. We leveraged social media — like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and recently Twitch — to connect with our fan base and grow the Death Wish community.” In 2015, the Death Wish team won Intuit’s “Small Business Big Game” competition for the “Best Commercial Ever.” The prize was a 30-second commercial aired during Super Bowl 50. Death Wish Coffee’s marketing team isn’t afraid to implement a bit of creative merchandising or philanthropy. Most recently, Death Wish partnered with Celtic rock band Dropkick Murphys in a St. Patrick’s Day mug collaboration for charity. The company donated $10 for every mug sold to the Claddagh Fund non-profit, contributing a total of $41,500. When asked if he has any advice for young start-ups hoping to follow in Death Wish’s footsteps, Mr. Browns said, “I believe the only way to gain a large following is by being consistent. You can’t over deliver one day and then drop the ball the next and expect your customer to count on you in the future. Something I tell my team regularly is that when we find a system that works well, try to simplify it as much as possible, write out the exact procedure, and then find a way to automate it. After that, you need to prove to [customers] that you’re what they’re looking for, ‘wow’ them, and then consistently do that for the rest of eternity.”

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