Driven, passionate,
and looking for more

Founded in 2008 by Jeff Hernandez and Daniel Brand in a modest 160-square-foot stand in Beaverton, Oregon, Black Rock Coffee Bar began with a mission to serve premium coffee in a warm, community-oriented environment.

Emphasizing community engagement and operational efficiency, Black Rock Coffee Bar had developed a fast-growing customer following and a strong reputation across its markets and by 2019, had expanded into multiple states, with dozens of locations across the Pacific Northwest. The founders’ entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with a relentless focus on culture and quality, positioned the business for its next chapter of growth.

Cynosure recognized the opportunity to back a high‑growth, founder‑led, culture‑driven brand with deep regional roots and strong unit economics. From day one, we recognized that Jeff and Daniel’s deep passion, community-first ethos, and founder-led conviction were the cornerstone of Black Rock Coffee Bar’s brand identity. Our partnership was built on amplifying—not diluting—this authenticity.

In addition to providing growth capital, Cynosure has supported the company on strategic decisions in expansion strategy, brand building, and assembling a highly experienced board and management team, including the recruitment of Mark Davis as CEO.

Now Black Rock Coffee Bar is now one of the fastest growing beverage companies in the United States by revenue and the largest fully company-owned coffee retailer in the country (as of June 30, 2025), with 158 locations spanning seven states from the Pacific Northwest to Texas—while staying true to its founding values of community, authenticity, and great coffee.

Visible Supply Chain, a B2C fulfillment and parcel solutions company, wanted to distinguish themselves from the competition by incorporating their market insights into software that would allow e-commerce to ship better.

But, as Casey Adams (President) says, they needed an investment partner that could help strategically, support M&A, and provide the two main owners with partial liquidity. The combination of all three had the ability to take Visible to the next level.

We at Cynosure recognized that Visible was trying to accelerate in a space with massive tailwinds. Not only was it an opportunity to support the institutionalization process and be a strategic contributor for growth, but there was also a meaningful opportunity to support M&A and the eventual exit process.

We found Casey and the Visible team to be creative, likable, smart, and relentless in their desire to win, which made them an ideal investment candidate for us. Fortunately, the feeling was mutual. As Casey says, with Cynosure, “the trust and respect are very high.”

The teams set up informal Friday-evening calls to discuss the business in a low-key setting that proved ideal for brainstorming, problem-solving, and collaboration. These calls, and the fact they took place on Friday evenings, highlighted the mutual enjoyment of the relationship between Cynosure and Visible.