Tej Gill’s journey from Navy SEAL to entrepreneur shows how the same "never quit” ethos that kept him alive in war zones now fuels Warpath Coffee, his fast-growing brand built on discipline, grit, and premium taste.
It’s not every day you hear someone describe their life in two halves: one built around "shooting guns, blowing things up, doing the mission,” and the other around building a family, reconnecting with God, and creating what he proudly calls the "champagne of coffee.” But that’s precisely how Tej Gill, Navy SEAL, contractor, and now founder of Warpath Coffee ,framed his story in a recent Labor Day conversation with Steve Bannon.
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TEJ GILL: In the SEAL Teams, we always had the best guns, the best gear, the best guys. I didn't want to bring a crappy coffee to the market; I wanted to bring a top-notch coffee to the market.@Tejfrog5 pic.twitter.com/eFeErEczbX
— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) September 1, 2025
Gill spent decades at the tip of the spear, rotating in and out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. For years, he hardly realized how often he’d deployed,until a security clearance reinvestigation in 2015 forced him to write down every trip. Sixteen war-zone deployments later, Gill finally saw the scale of what he’d given. "I was gone 10 months a year,” he said. "I barely saw my daughter. It was just war, war, war.”
Then came the 180-degree turn. In 2014, Gill left the battlefield behind. His new mission: building a life centered on faith, family, and business. That business became Warpath Coffee, a brand rooted in the same SEAL philosophy he once lived by: never quit, train relentlessly, and only use the best gear.
"I didn’t want to put out a crappy product,” Gill explained. "In the Teams, we had the best guns, the best gear, the best guys. I wanted to bring that same standard to coffee. That’s why every blend we do takes time — it has to be premium.”
The results speak for themselves. Warpath Coffee has racked up nearly 13,000 five-star reviews, with customers raving about blends that don’t need milk or sugar to mask bitterness. Gill says the secret is simple: fresh beans roasted on perforated drums to avoid the acidity and burn common in mass-market coffee.
Like the SEAL missions he once executed, Gill’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been without setbacks. He started with politically charged T-shirts, got banned by Facebook and Instagram, and had to pivot. Coffee became the vehicle — but SEAL lessons made it possible. "Never quit. That’s number one,” Gill told Bannon. "But also: preparation. Train day in and day out. That’s how you get good.”
Today, Warpath Coffee is scaling across multiple platforms, with direct-to-consumer sales driving explosive growth. Gill is still bootstrapping — no investors, no shortcuts — just like the SEAL code he lived by.
For Gill, it all comes back to the same mission: serve with excellence, never compromise, and stay loyal to your team. Only now, the team is his family, his customers, and the broader movement of Americans hungry for authenticity.
Contact Information:
🌐 Website: www.warpath.coffee
📧 Email: [email protected]
📱 Instagram: @warpathcoffee
💸 Special Offer: Use promo code WARROOM for discounts year-round
From the battlefield to the breakfast table, Tej Gill proves one thing beyond doubt: Navy SEALs never quit — they just find new missions.
Watch this full interview for more:
