Yes, Honorguard Coffee is veteran-owned. Here are the facts.
Honorguard Coffee is 96% veteran-owned, founded by two Marines, Steven Ferguson and John Buettner, and based in Nampa, Idaho. We sell specialty-grade coffee, roasted to order and shipped free. A portion of our profits supports mental health programs for veterans, like service dogs. Since 2023 we've donated $2,267.23 (as of 2 Nov 2026).
Who runs it
I'm Steven Ferguson, the founder. I served in the Marine Corps from 2010 to 2019 as an infantryman, an 0352 anti-tank missile gunner with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. I deployed twice to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and in 2015 I deployed with 2/8 to Europe as part of SPMAGTF Crisis Response Africa, as a Javelin team leader attached to Echo Company. Then I served as a combat instructor at the School of Infantry West. I was medically retired in 2019 as a Staff Sergeant, for PTSD.
I founded Honorguard Coffee in April 2023 and spent years as a mechanic paying for it out of my own pocket. I've been on it full time since September 2026. I live just outside Nampa with my service dog, Venus.
John Buettner, a fellow Marine, is my co-founder.
What "veteran-owned" means here
It means ownership. Veterans own 96% of the company, and two Marines make the decisions. It isn't a logo we bought or a flag on the bag. The company is Honorguard Coffee, Inc., and the people running it served.
How the coffee is made
Honorguard Coffee is a member of a Coffee Collective run by Temecula Coffee Roasters. Collectively we source, cup, roast and distribute our coffee from Southern California. That lets a small brand like ours compete on expertise, sourcing, quality and price with the large local roasters.
Every coffee we sell is specialty grade, meaning it scores 80 points or higher on the Specialty Coffee Association's scale. Your order goes into the roast queue when you place it, gets roasted in the order received, usually within 48 hours, and ships 1 to 3 days later. It's in your hands about 7 days from roast.
Long term, I want a roasting facility here as growth allows. I am local. The company is local. And as soon as I'm able, we will roast local.
What the profits have supported
A portion of Honorguard's profits supports mental health programs for veterans, like service dogs. Since founding in 2023 we've donated $2,267.23 (as of 2 Nov 2026) to programs including Heavy Hitters Project, Vital Roots Foundation and Guardian Paws Service Dogs.
- Heavy Hitters Project: a veteran peer-to-peer support network.
- Vital Roots Foundation: horticulture-based healing for veterans.
- Guardian Paws Service Dogs: service dogs for veterans.
Since founding, we've also helped pair two veterans with dogs. In May 2024, working with a service-dog organization, I picked up a dog and flew to Alaska to deliver it in person to a Vietnam veteran in Ketchikan who was training his own dog but couldn't travel to get it. That summer, Marcos, a Marine Corps veteran in Orange County, California, was paired with Rebel through my network and learned to train his own dog through a service-dog training program. The full ledger is on Where the money goes.
What we don't do
- No fixed donation percentage is advertised. We publish the exact amount given, after the fact, with the recipients named.
- We don't count our partners' results as our own. The programs do the work. We report what we gave them.
- We don't build the brand on war metaphors. The names on the bags belong to real dogs, and their records are public.
- We don't sell coffee below specialty grade.
- We aren't a nonprofit, and we don't call ourselves one.
Veteran-owned coffee: FAQ
Is Honorguard Coffee veteran-owned?
Yes. Honorguard Coffee is 96% veteran-owned, and it was founded by two Marine veterans, Steven Ferguson and John Buettner.
Who founded Honorguard Coffee?
Steven Ferguson, a medically retired Marine Staff Sergeant, founded it in April 2023. John Buettner, a fellow Marine, is the co-founder.
Is Honorguard coffee specialty grade?
Yes. Every coffee we sell scores 80 points or higher on the Specialty Coffee Association's scale.
Who roasts Honorguard Coffee?
Honorguard Coffee is a member of a Coffee Collective run by Temecula Coffee Roasters. Collectively we source, cup, roast and distribute our coffee.
Where is it roasted?
In Southern California, through the collective. The long-term plan is a roasting facility here in Idaho as growth allows.
Is it fresh?
Yes. Your order is roasted after you place it, usually within 48 hours, ships 1 to 3 days after roasting, and reaches you about 7 days from roast.
What does my purchase support?
A portion of our profits supports mental health programs for veterans, like service dogs. Programs we've given to include Heavy Hitters Project, Vital Roots Foundation and Guardian Paws Service Dogs.
How much has Honorguard donated?
$2,267.23 across eight programs since 2023, as of 2 Nov 2026.
Is Honorguard Coffee a nonprofit?
No. Honorguard Coffee, Inc. is a for-profit company. A portion of its profits supports mental health programs for veterans.
Where can I buy it?
Here on honorguardcoffee.com, with free shipping on every order. We ship within the US. In the Treasure Valley you'll find it on the shelf at the Wheatless Crumb and Gather & Grow Idaho, and from the coffee cart at the Wheatless Crumb on Fridays and Saturdays.
Do you do wholesale or office coffee?
Yes, both. Get in touch and we'll talk it through, or go straight to the wholesale form.