One Bull At A Time: Building a Badass Community of Dippers and Doers

April 29, 2017

Fearless and loyal, the African cape buffalo charges ahead to protect its herd against all odds, no matter the outcome. They take on packs of hyenas. They drive lions up trees. They can move silently, stalking for days any predator that’s wounded them. They’ve been nicknamed “Black Death” for the danger they pose to big game hunters.

The black buffalo is loyal to its herd above all else, and that’s just how we are.

Fearless and Loyal

We know there’s a community of dippers out there that loves the ritual of smokeless tobacco, but wants something different. Like us, you’re loyal to what you care about and not afraid of taking the road less traveled, even if it’s difficult.

We know because we’ve chatted with you on message boards when we, too, were looking for a tobacco alternative that actually satisfied. We’ve sat next to you at the bar and annoyed the bartender together by asking for spit cups. We realized how fearless and loyal we would need to be on this mission.

Since we began the journey of building Black Buffalo more than four years ago, our commitment has been to developing a high-quality alternative to Big Tobacco. The ways of Big Tobacco are complex and secretive, so we had to be bold enough to take that on and charge ahead when things got tough. Like you, we’re dippers who know what to expect when we crack open a tin.

We’ve built a brand that gives you everything you love about smokeless tobacco and nothing you don’t. We’re glad to welcome you to the herd as we fearlessly charge ahead into something awesome.

Inherently Atypical

Unpredictable in nature, impossible to domesticate, the African cape buffalo is not your average bull. Neither are you.

One of the greatest traits of the African cape buffalo is its camaraderie. They take care of their veteran bulls and take votes on which way to roam. They rarely fight among themselves but will charge a predator without hesitation if one of their own is threatened. Though they’re fiercely independent, they’re also incredibly social.

Those are the sorts of people we want to connect with as we build our company. We aim to celebrate the badass stories of people who charge ahead to do awesome things for their people.

That’s why we recently partnered with Elite Meet, an organization that connects military veterans with influential business professionals to transition these soldiers into careers worthy of their exceptional skills.

As a decorated Navy SEAL and now the CEO of Elite Meet, John Allen was tested in ways words alone cannot describe during his service. As he explained in his LinkedIn article, “From SEAL to Startup CEO,” veterans of the Special Operations Forces community are trained in ambiguity and pressure, molding them into battle-tested soldiers.

These skills make them perfect candidates for the business world.

“SOF veterans want to be more than just a vanity hire at a company, they want to serve a purpose like they did in their SOF unit. Transition out of the military for SOF is an identity crisis more than a job hunt. These men and women are hungry to succeed like they did when they were on active duty,” John wrote in his article.

Alongside Chairman and Co-Founder of Elite Meet, Jordan Selleck, John organized their first event in New York City. Within 72 hours of the event, five of their SOF attendees had job offers and one of their business professionals even offered himself as a full-time mentor.

“We are inherently atypical people, and therefore will most likely end up doing atypical things in our transition,” wrote John.

We’re all about taking the atypical path, so we were beyond proud and honored to partner with Elite Meet as event sponsors. We aim to support the amazing men and women of the SOF community as they apply their passions after their service concludes.

As a growing company, we want to do more than just push product. We want to help others charge ahead and succeed in their goals, too.

Thanks for your patience as we finish up our next round of manufacturing. It’s a process that can’t be rushed when you’re using the same time-honored techniques as Big Tobacco. More product is coming soon. Until then, invite your friends to the Black Buffalo herd.

We’re growing into something fierce. 

Read John Allen’s full LinkedIn article here.

Visit Elite Meet to register, donate money or hire a hero.

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