MarketView identifies new and expanding businesses the moment their signals start moving, not after the story breaks. It runs continuously, watching for the same kind of pattern that flagged 7 Brew 18 months before it became a national story. Right now, one of those signals is Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii.
What the Data Shows
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii operates 11 locations across Florida and has just filed plans for its first Central Florida location in Daytona Beach. The company expects to open 25 to 30 new stores this year through multi-unit franchise partnerships. In April, it signed a 10-unit development agreement covering Alabama’s Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle. The brand also operates locations in South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado, along with Hawaii, where it was founded in 1989.
Despite its name and origin, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii hasn’t been run out of Hawaii for years. The brand moved its headquarters to Salt Lake City in the 1990s, then relocated again to Centennial, Colorado in 2019 under new ownership. For account teams, knowing exactly where a brand’s decision-makers actually sit, not just where its name suggests, can be the difference between calling on the right office and missing it entirely.
Signal Check: Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii
Geographic expansion: Visible. Ten states and a new development agreement announced in April.
Multi-unit franchise activity: Visible. A 10-unit deal covering Alabama’s Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle, plus 25 to 30 planned openings this year.
Executive hiring: Not yet visible. 7 Brew’s signal included a run of C-suite hires over five quarters. We haven’t seen that pattern here yet.
Institutional investment: Not yet visible. 7 Brew’s signal included a growth investment from Blackstone. No comparable announcement has surfaced for Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii.
What We’re Watching
This is what Signal, Outcome, Speed looks like in practice. Two of the four signal categories that flagged 7 Brew early are already visible here. Two aren’t, yet.
We don’t know if Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii will follow the same trajectory as 7 Brew. What we do know is that this is the stage where the signal is available and the story hasn’t been written yet, and it’s exactly the kind of pattern we’re tracking every day across the categories our clients care about. You can read our original breakdown of the 7 Brew signal here.
If you want to see how major broadcasters are using Polaris I/O to find the next news story or national advertiser before anyone else does, reach out to Joe Hayes at jhayes@polarisio.com or 516.287.6504. Book a meeting and we’ll give you the first two insights for free.
We’ll keep watching. Powered by Polaris I/O.
