OneNation founders
Sgt. Philip Moniz (left) is a Charleston County deputy sheriff, bomb technician and member of the SWAT team. Senior Chief Richards (right) is a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician. Both are members of Berkeley Electric Cooperative.
Photo by Milton Morris
John Richards, Philip Moniz and Neil Johnson
Claim to fame: Owners of OneNation Coffee (onenationcoffee.com), a Summerville roaster that supports active-duty military, first responders and veterans.
Ages: Co-founders John Richards (CEO/president) and Philip Moniz (master roaster) are both 42, while partner Neil Johnson is 52.
Day jobs: Sgt. Moniz (left) is a Charleston County deputy sheriff, bomb technician and member of the SWAT team. Senior Chief Richards (right) is a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician. Johnson (not pictured) served six years in the Navy as a reactor operator on the submarine USS Miami and now runs an investment company.
Words to live by: Moniz, OneNation’s coffee expert, says attention to detail is vital if you are defusing a bomb or roasting coffee. “If you don’t care about the details, you’re not going to get a good result.”
Co-op affiliation: Richards and Moniz are members of Berkeley Electric Cooperative.
To hear military personnel and police officers say “I’ve got your six” means they’ve got your back. You’re covered.
John Richards, an active-duty U.S. Navy EOD tech, and Philip Moniz, a Charleston County sheriff’s deputy, have been looking out for each other since their first day of third grade in Summerville some 30 years ago—and they’ve been protecting the rest of us most of their adult lives. One day, the childhood friends were discussing what they might do when they eventually retire. Both men wanted an opportunity that would serve their fellow service members, veterans and first responders.
“Coffee was the natural choice,” says Moniz, who, as a hobby, roasted beans in his Goose Creek garage. “I started roasting because I started hating 3 a.m. gas station coffee. It did the job, but I wanted better.”
In April 2017, the duo started OneNation Coffee with the slogan: “We’ve got your six—a.m.” The company donates $1 per pound of coffee sold, has partnered with organizations serving military and law enforcement personnel, and the founders have now formed their own OneNation Foundation. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company donated 2,000 pounds of coffee to first responders in South Carolina and New York City. Johnson, who joined the company in March 2020, has helped guide steady growth of the business and its charitable mission.
“We made something out of nothing,” Richards says of the risky decision to launch OneNation Coffee. “You can prepare as best you can, but at some point, you have to jump out of the plane, jump into the water, go and do the business.”
Get More: Learn more about the company and foundation at onenationcoffee.com.