By Iain Douglas, Chief Brand and Strategy Officer, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii
The coffee industry is one of the most crowded corners of franchising. A prospective owner can choose among a vast number of beverage brands, and most of them pour a good cup. When quality becomes the cost of entry rather than the differentiator, a harder question surfaces for any franchisor: how do you stand out in a way that attracts both loyal customers and the right operators to run the business?
At Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, our answer runs counter to conventional wisdom. We leaned further into a polarizing aspect of our brand vs. work around it. In our case…it is our name.
A Name That Was Earned, Not Invented
A polarizing name can feel like a risk in a business built on broad appeal. But our name is the clearest expression of who we are.
It traces back to the donkeys that once carried heavy loads of coffee cherries down the steep volcanic slopes of Hawaii’s Kona region. The people of Kona called them the Bad Ass Ones. This is a respectful nod to these fine animals who were strong, stubborn and essential to the harvest. Those donkeys live on today front and center in our brand icon, Jack, whose wink tells you a lot about how we carry the name.
We stay true to the foundation we were built on, starting with coffee. We partner directly with local Hawaiian farmers, source premium beans from across the Hawaiian Islands and treat quality in the cup as non-negotiable. We are stubborn about our sourcing and ensuring we do deliver a better bean and a better cup. A name that promises boldness must be backed by a product that delivers it, or the whole thing falls apart.
The Name as a Filter, Not Just a Flag
The most useful thing our name does happens in franchise development, before a customer ever walks in.
Recruiting franchisees is often framed as a numbers game, where more leads are always better. We see it differently, and we are unapologetically stubborn about who we bring into the ‘ohana (family). We hold out for the right partners and the right real estate the same way we hold out for the right coffee. The operators who thrive with us, hear the name, understand the story and feel energized by it. Those who hesitate were probably never the right cultural fit, and it is healthier to learn that early than to sign an owner who spends years wishing the sign said something safer.
In practice, the name screens for conviction. It attracts operators who want to run a business with personality, who buy into empowerment, energy and adventure as real values, and who want to belong to something rather than simply own a unit. That alignment shows up later in how they welcome guests, hire their teams and serve their communities.
Lead and Embody What the Word Means
A polarizing name only works if you live what it means and bring it to life for all to experience beyond a single meaning. For us the word signals boldness and a spirit of adventure, and Jack’s wink keeps it playful rather than aggressive. The intent underneath is to leave people feeling a little bolder than when they walked in. We do believe our purpose is to be a catalyst for a better badass day for all and badass is good. Our name also recognizes that everyone has a little badass in them. We celebrate all who step up in their day to make it count. A name with edge and no warmth reads as hostility. The combination is what makes it work.
That balance carries into the stores, which lean on good and live energy: an Aloha greeting, a strong Hawaiian sense of place, and a franchise community we call our ‘ohana, the Hawaiian word for family. The name gets people in the door out of curiosity. The experience is what brings them back. We also identified that the goodbye may be even more powerful than the hello (Aloha) – you will often hear our baristas say, “Make it a Badass Day!” when handing the coffee to a guest or when people head out of the store. The power is in the guests’ hands now to make it their very own badass day. Handled this way, a name becomes shorthand for an identity rather than a punch line.
Franchise Systems Are Competing on Identity
Our experience points to something broader than one clever name. For a long time, franchise differentiation lived mostly in the product and the operating model. Those still matter. But in saturated categories, identity is becoming a deciding factor. Prospective franchisees, who are making one of the largest commitments of their lives, want to invest in a brand with a clear point of view.
The shift rewards brands willing to be specific about who they are, even at the risk of not being for everyone. Trying to appeal to all usually produces a brand that resonates with no one. A sharp identity accepts that some people will pass, and it earns deeper loyalty from those who stay.
For franchisors weighing how to differentiate, a few practical takeaways. Audit what makes your brand genuinely distinctive and resist the urge to sand down the edges that make people react. Anchor whatever you lean into in a real story and stay in control of what it means, so the boldness arrives with warmth rather than attitude alone. Treat your brand identity as a recruiting tool, because the franchisees who self-select into a clear vision tend to become your best operators.
We built our brand around a name that is true to who we are, and we let it draw the right people toward us, both across the counter and into ownership.