A few days ago, I walked into one of my favorite establishments in town. The sign outside still read Ubora Coffee Roasters. Inside, everything was so different. I quickly realized change was in the air. Something big was about to happen.

The first thing I noticed was that the storage shelves on the back wall were completely gone. The furniture had been rearranged, making a more spacious area. The whole thing felt more homey.

While I waited for my cup of coffee, I talked to Randy, the owner. In our conversation, he shared the big news with me. He was rebranding.

Ubora would now become Commander Coffee.

In one sense, the change didn’t surprise me. Last year,I wrote an article about Randy when he had just taken over the business. At the time, he had expressed his desire to be more involved with the veteran community. Having a name that resonated with the Military would be the next logical step.

However, changing the name of an established business is not simple. One doesn’t just wake up in the morning and think, “I’m changing my business name today.” It is a long process. It requires careful consideration and strategic thinking.

And Randy has successfully pulled it off.

Pulling the Trigger

“There’s never going to be a right time to do this,” Randy told me, settling into his chair. “So I just said, you know what, let’s just do this.”

Just as I expected, the rebranding had been months in the making. Randy had the new sign made. He hesitated. Finding the right time to pull the trigger was key.

Earlier this month, Randy got a call asking to pick up the new sign. The timing wasn’t perfect. He had just closed the Evans location and was still recovering from offloading equipment and navigating lease negotiations with the landlord.

But Randy decided to trust the process. The new bags had arrived just a week before the site went live. Sometimes you just have to leap and trust things will fall into place.

And he did.

A Name That Resonates

Ubora was established in 2018 and quickly became one of Augusta’s favorite coffee spots. Between the downtown and Evans locations, they racked up over 500 positive Google reviews. But despite the loyal following, Randy always felt something was missing.

“Ubora was always veteran-owned, but it wasn’t really known as a veteran-owned business,” he explained. “Some people did know it was, but some people didn’t. And the name itself didn’t really resonate.”

The name “Commander Coffee” isn’t new to Randy. He used it back in Maryland during the pandemic when he first started roasting. Even after taking over the business here, he never let the name go.

“I was concerned about online backlash,” Randy admitted. “That people would think the good qualities that came with Ubora were going to be gone—the quality of the coffee, the staff.”

He worked hard to reassure customers through social media and emails: same coffee, same staff, just a new name. And the response exceeded his expectations.

“Folks reciprocated well with that. They said, okay, as long as you’re not changing the coffee, we’re good.”

Finding His Tribe

Earlier that day, Randy had sponsored a veteran’s event. Randy had gone just to bring coffee for the attendees, but he ended up staying for hours. One of the speakers, who knew about the rebranding, said something that stuck with him.

“She told the class that she never understood what Ubora was,” Randy recalled. “But when they changed it to Commander Coffee, she knew exactly what it was. In the two seconds she heard about Commander, she knew a lot about it.”

That’s the power of a name that resonates.

Since the rebrand, Randy has found himself thrust into the veteran community in ways Ubora never quite achieved. He hosted a veteran support event that opened up conversations. People started reaching out to congratulate him and connect him and other veteran-owned business groups around Augusta.

“I feel like it just kind of pulled me into the veteran community,” he said. “Which is something that I felt was kind of lacking before.”

More Than Just Coffee

For Randy, Commander Coffee was never meant to be just a product. It’s a platform.

“I wanted it to be a platform that serves the community, serves veterans,” he explained. “So that folks felt like, all right, they’re not just trying to sell something, they’re actually trying to give back and serve.”

He’s already identifying community groups for potential collaborations—partnerships where a percentage of proceeds could go to local organizations. This is a future endeavor he is working on.

“I want to get to a point where I can support giving back financially, not just giving back with the coffee and things like that.”

With the rebrand, Randy plans to leverage social media to target veteran groups around military installations across the country. The goal is visibility, but more importantly, it’s about purpose.

The Hidden Mission

As our conversation came to a close, Randy shared something that felt like a quiet confession.

“I’m not trying to say it’s like my mission,” he said, almost hesitantly. “But I kind of feel like part of the mission is just like, if I can get the coffee to taste well enough that you can drink it without adding sugar—that’s an accomplishment.”

He laughed, remembering how he trained himself to drink coffee black. Once he figured out he could actually enjoy it without cream and sugar, he never went back. Now, when he tries adding them, it doesn’t taste right anymore.

“If somebody goes, ‘Hey, I can actually drink this flat’—that’s a win in my book.”

It’s a small thing, maybe. But small things add up. That’s what Commander Coffee is really about: serving the community one carefully crafted cup at a time, connecting veterans and coffee lovers through something as simple and universal as a good morning brew.

The name changed. The mission didn’t.

Commander Coffee is located at 1128 Jones Street in downtown Augusta. For more information or to order online, visit their website or follow them on social media.