Jimmy Butler Described What Drove Him to Join the Competitive $223.78B Coffee Business

The main story surrounding Jimmy Butler in recent months has been about the high tensions that led to his unceremonious exit from the Miami Heat. However, the Warriors star recently took some of the focus off his basketball-related antics when he sat down with Forbes to discuss his business.

The global coffee market size was estimated at USD 223.78 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2024 to 2030. So Butler wasn’t introducing some wholly unique product when he started his “Big Face Coffee” brand back in 2020. It was the six-time All-Star’s fascination with the caffeinated beverage that led him to the endeavor.

When Butler was asked where his passion for coffee came from after his humble beginning, the 35-year-old had a simple answer: “From people. I really love to sit down and talk to people. I do. I wasn’t always planning on being this basketball player… But I think the people is what really drew me into coffee.”

Butler was presented with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to cash in on his fellow NBA players during the Disney Bubble. But the 14-year veteran clearly prioritizes the conversations he has with his customers. His love for meeting people is a main reason “Big Face Coffee” turned from a hobby to a full-fledged business.

“Like the conversations that I got to have with complete strangers at the time, and then you get to know them and you realize, ‘Oh, you got kids that are the same age. Oh my gosh, I went to the same college,” Butler continued. “And I think that’s where my love for coffee came from because everybody gets to have a conversation over coffee.”

It’s been half a decade since COVID-19 ravaged the sports world and forced the NBA into an isolated bubble for the postseason. But had this unforeseen event not occurred, it’s possible Butler never starts his business in the first place.

Jimmy Butler’s coffee brand may not exist without the Disney Bubble

Jimmy Butler revealed to Rachel Nichols when the bubble playoffs kicked off that he planned on opening a coffee shop after his career. His dream was realized much more quickly than that, though, as rumors soon started circulating that Butler was selling his coffee to fellow players at a premium.

The crafty forward was able to make a tidy profit from his small business thanks to his marked-up $20 price tag. For NBA athletes, that’s just a drop in the bucket, but it’s still nearly four times what the average coffee costs. With the lack of coffee in the area, though, Butler took advantage of supply and demand.

In September 2020, Butler filed a trademark for “Big Face Coffee” and the brand has continued to skyrocket ever since. The Texas native now has pop-up shops in several major cities around the world, proving that he didn’t need to wait til retirement to follow his passions.