Buc-ee’s sues tiny Beaver’s Mini Mart over beaver logo and Ohio town fights back

Buc-ee’s is facing a growing backlash in Ohio after suing a small convenience store over its cartoon beaver logo, prompting locals, businesses and even the city government to rally behind the store.

The Texas-based travel center chain filed a federal trademark lawsuit against Beaver’s Mini Mart in Beavercreek, Ohio, on July 28, arguing its smiling beaver branding could cause customers to believe the two businesses are connected.

The dispute comes just months after Buc-ee’s opened its first Ohio location in nearby Huber Heights. The differences in scale are considerable. Beaver’s operates from a small neighborhood convenience store, while the new Buc-ee’s spans 74,000 square feet with more than 100 gas pumps and 700 parking spaces, according to the Associated Press.

Buc-ee’s says Beaver’s logo, which depicts a smiling full-bodied beaver, is too similar to its own famous buck-toothed mascot wearing a red cap.

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Beavercreek rallies around Beaver’s Mini Mart

The lawsuit has instead sparked a wave of support for the smaller business, with customers calling for boycotts of Buc-ee’s and deliberately shopping at Beaver’s Mini Mart.

A GoFundMe created to help cover the store’s legal costs has raised $77,000 at the time of reporting, while local bakeries have sold beaver-themed cookies to contribute to its defense. More than 20 businesses around the area have also temporarily incorporated beavers into their own logos in solidarity.

The city itself has now gotten involved.

On August 10, Beavercreek City Council unanimously passed a resolution formally recognizing the beaver as a permanent part of the community’s more than 200-year history.

The City of Beavercreek explained that Big Beaver Creek and Little Beaver Creek were named for the native beaver population by early European hunters and settlers, tying the animal to the area since its founding in 1803.

“For the citizens of Beavercreek, the beaver is not just a corporate marketing device,” the proposed resolution stated.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has also criticized the lawsuit, calling it “absurd” and telling reporters: “It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake.”

Beaver’s Mini Mart owner Vic Boparai has thanked people for supporting the business and said its current sign was installed in 2019.

“We are overwhelmed by your support for our business and other small businesses everywhere,” he said.

Buc-ee’s has pushed back against some of the criticism surrounding the case. In a statement provided to WHIO, the company said it first became aware of the Beaver’s Mini Mart trade name registration in October 2025 and made several attempts to contact Boparai before filing suit.

Buc-ee’s said letters were sent in March and April before correspondence was personally delivered to the store in June, but it received no response.

The fight has also attracted national attention. John Oliver devoted part of an episode of Last Week Tonight to Buc-ee’s history of pursuing businesses with cartoon animal logos, even launching parody “Buc-off” merchandise featuring a squirrel called Mr. Nutterbutter.

This is also far from Buc-ee’s first dispute involving another cartoon rodent. In 2025, the company sued underwear brand Nut Huggers over its cartoon squirrel mascot, arguing elements of the character infringed on its beaver branding.