The Campaign Numbers
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii has relaunched its annual Give a Hoof fundraising campaign for August 2026, setting a $20,000 target for donkey rescue partners and debuting a limited-edition $25 coffee blend as the program's primary revenue vehicle. Five dollars from every bag sold flows directly to three sanctuary organizations, making the Viejo blend — named after a rescued donkey — the financial centerpiece of the month-long effort.
The Hawaii-born franchise, which operates more than 45 U.S. locations with 100-plus additional shops in development, has run Give a Hoof in prior years but is expanding the program's commercial mechanics this cycle. Beyond bag sales, the campaign also captures revenue through in-store round-ups at the point of sale and direct donations — a three-channel fundraising structure that broadens the average contribution per customer visit. The Viejo blend is available online and at participating locations while supplies last.
Sanctuary Partners
Proceeds are split among three organizations: returning partners Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Colorado and Leilani Farm Sanctuary in Hawaii, joined this year by Oscar's Place, a California-based rescue. The addition of Oscar's Place deepens the brand's geographic footprint in the cause and provides the narrative hook for the new blend. "The work happening at sanctuaries like Oscar's Place gives these animals a real second chance," said Ron King, co-founder of Oscar's Place. "Every dollar raised means more donkeys get the food, shelter and care they need."
Iain Douglas, Chief Brand and Strategy Officer at Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, framed the Viejo blend as an intentional upgrade to the program's fundraising capacity. "We are excited to add a new element to our program to raise more funds for rescue donkeys," Douglas said, noting that Oscar's Place is led by King.
Franchise and Retail Context
The Give a Hoof campaign sits within the brand's broader philanthropic arm, Bad Ass For Good, which also directs support toward military service members and underserved communities. For the franchise system, the initiative functions as a dual-purpose activation: it generates incremental retail revenue through a premium limited-run SKU while reinforcing brand differentiation in a crowded specialty coffee market.
The timing is notable for franchise operators navigating sustained consumer-spending pressure. Purpose-driven limited-time offerings have become a reliable traffic lever across the coffee and quick-service restaurant segments, with cause-linked SKUs often commanding higher average ticket sizes than standard menu items. The $25 price point for the Viejo blend positions it squarely in the premium retail coffee tier, where Hawaiian-origin coffees have historically supported above-average margins.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is also preparing a broader retail expansion into grocery, hospitality, and specialty retail channels — a distribution shift that could extend future Give a Hoof campaigns well beyond the franchise footprint. For context on how specialty coffee brands are scaling retail distribution, channel diversification has become a key growth lever for franchise-based operators seeking to monetize brand equity outside their physical store network. The franchise is owned by Royal Aloha Franchise Company, LLC.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
