Michael Haft (born November 3, 1986) is an American businessman, veteran and venture capitalist, known as the CEO and founder of Compass Coffee. He was deployed as United States Marine Corps Infantry Officer in Afghanistan.
Haft was born on November 3, 1986, in Washington DC to businessman Robert Haft and Mary Haft. He attended the Maret School in Washington DC. Later, he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a focus on Business and Entrepreneurship from Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2009, after his junior year at Washington University in St. Louis, Haft attended the Officer Candidates School (United States Marine Corps) and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduating college the following year.
Haft was trained as an infantry officer and was eventually assigned as a weapons platoon commander to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. Haft led his platoon in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom to support the War on Terror embedded with the Afghan National Police in the Helmand Province during 2011.
After his military service, Haft returned to Washington DC where he founded Compass Coffee in 2013. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he oversaw the construction of a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art roastery in the Ivy City neighborhood of Washington, D.C., with a capacity to produce 10 million pounds of coffee annually. The company received approximately $3.1 million in two Paycheck Protection Program loans to maintain operations during the pandemic.
Haft designed the Made in DC logo and has testified before the Council of the District of Columbia on manufacturing and business issues.
Michael Haft is the co-author of a book, Perfect Coffee At Home.
Michael has been married to Sofia Haft, who is the director of communications at Anduril Industries and a public affairs officer in the US Navy Reserve. Michael received DC Chamber of Commerce's Community Impact Award in 2017.