Making a difference
Talent is the floor, but your character is the ceiling’
October 20, 2025
KAUKAUNA – When Sam Floyd first started Operation Coffee Roasters in 2017, he said he visited the coffee aisle at his local Festival Foods and “just stared,” contemplating for two reasons.
The first, Floyd said, was to research “what other [companies] were doing for bag sizes, color, what it looks like, all that stuff,” gleaning inspiration to increase the appeal of his product.
“But another question was, ‘How do I get here?’” he said. “You know – ‘How does Operation Coffee get into a Festival Foods store?’”
Eight years later, Floyd said he has finally learned how: “persistence.”
Operation Coffee Roasters – which was first profiled in the May 19, 2025, issue of “The Business News” – is now available at 12 Festival Foods locations across the following Northeast Wisconsin cities:
- De Pere
- Fond du Lac
- Green Bay
- Kimberly
- Menasha
- Neenah
- Oshkosh
“It’s pretty crazy that it’s actually happening, and I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet, but I’m just completely humbled and honored by it,” Floyd said.
He said Operation Coffee products have also recently become available at Vern’s Cheese stores in Chilton and Green Bay.
“I’m just so thankful for them to give me this opportunity to get my coffee in front of more people, and also further help my cause, too,” he said. “My No. 1 cause has always been, and always will be, trying to help veterans as much as I can – and not only veterans, but people who are struggling with mental health.”
Floyd – a Marine Corps veteran – said he donates 10% of his profits to Semper Fi & America’s Fund.
He said he’s equally hopeful to sell more coffee and increase his donations as he is excited to see Operation Coffee on shelves “next to brands that are heavy hitters in the coffee community.”
However, thinking back to what was once a retail fantasy, Floyd said he has to remind himself to “sit back and just appreciate it.”
“[I’m trying] to just live in the moment and just be thankful for the opportunity that God has given me,” he said.
