Actor Tom Hanks wanted to do more than inspire from the big screen, more for the legacy he will one day leave behind. He landed on building a company out of the very thing he doesn’t go a day without: coffee.
He launched HANKS For Our Troops, coffee that makes a difference. Comprised of arabica beans from Central America, it comes in two flavors — chocolate turtle and salted caramel — and in medium and dark roast.
The goal with this legacy company was to create an organization that would “really, truly help veterans and military families” long term, well beyond his time, said Tina Meyer-Hawkes, general manager for HANKS.
“Coffee is just the beginning,” she said.
Mission driven
As the daughter of an Air Force veteran, Meyer-Hawkes said she’s already learned so much about what it needed and how little is actually being done for the veteran community.
“It’s so meaningful to know that we’re touching the lives of so many people that need so much help,” she said.
Hanks was adamant that all of the profits from the coffee go back to support the cause.
“He takes nothing; he makes nothing from this,” Meyer-Hawkes said. “He’s been very clear on that.”
HANKS remains mission-driven, and the profits from the coffee go to four vetted organizations: Hire Heroes USA, Student Veterans of America, the Headstrong Project, and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
Meyer-Hawkes shared that Hanks has a passion for that time between military and civilian life, which is why each of the organizations has an aim toward helping service members in that transition period.
“They all help with the total person,” Meyer-Hawkes said. “When you put them all together, they really help the total family, the total person – mental health, physical health, financial health. That was all so important, to make sure we cover all the bases.”
Connection
To connect with more veterans, at the end of 2025, the company put a call to action out to veterans to share a story of how they received a challenge coin. For each story submitted, the service member was awarded a challenge coin from HANKS For Our Troops.
Meyer-Hawkes said the response was impactful.
“We were flooded,” she said. “We had no idea how it would go. We were flooded with stories.”
She described the moment of impact as just another example of how to make such a big difference in someone’s life.
“It opened my eyes to truly the small things being really big things, especially for this community,” she said.
Find HANKS For Our Troops coffee collection, including ground coffee and single-serve pods, in Walmart stores across the country. Visit givehanks.com to learn more.
