With three Super Bowls and two NFL MVP awards to his name, Patrick Mahomes has rightfully built a reputation as the NFL’s ultimate competitor … who thrives under pressure. And away from the gridiron, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is quietly proving he’s just as driven in the business world.
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Mahomes traces his business aspirations back to what he saw growing up. He watched his father, former MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes, and later studied how sports icons like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Alex Rodriguez approached their careers beyond the game.
“As much as you have success in sports, business is kind of the same feel,” Mahomes said. “It’s competition.”
Unsurprisingly, this mindset has led the 29-year-old to spread his portfolio across several ventures. From minority ownership stakes in the Kansas City Royals, Sporting Kansas City, and Kansas City Current, to partnerships with global brands like State Farm, Adidas, and T-Mobile.
But one of his more personal projects is Throne Sport Coffee, a ready-to-drink cold brew he co-developed with beverage industry veteran Michael Fedele.
The idea came out of necessity. Back in 2017, as a rookie under head coach Andy Reid, Mahomes had to sit through marathon offensive installs late in the day. “I wouldn’t say I was falling asleep, but I was definitely losing focus,” he recalled (via ESPN).
As a result, coffee became his go-to fix, initially loaded with sugar. That’s why veteran QB Alex Smith warned his successor about its downsides. Eventually, Mahomes learned to drink it ‘black’ for “functionality,” even though he admits he didn’t enjoy it.
Years later, when Fedele pitched the idea of a healthier cold brew, one that is low in calories, has low sugar, natural caffeine, B vitamins, and loaded with BCAAs, Mahomes saw this as the perfect intersection of personal habit and business opportunity. “It was kind of a match made in heaven,” Mahomes said.
His involvement in his coffee venture goes well beyond being a silent partner. Throughout the Chiefs’ 2023 season, Mahomes reportedly tested formulas to ensure they delivered the right boost without the jitters.
He even solicited blunt feedback from his fellow quarterbacks, with the unspoken “quarterback room rule” that anyone who took a coffee had to replace it or run a half gasser, coaches included.
It is due to this attention to nuance that in a notoriously cutthroat industry, Mahomes’ Throne Sport Coffee has already grown from 3,500 stores across 25 states to 6,500 nationwide, including a recent Whole Foods rollout.
Understandably, the Chiefs talisman sees it not just as another endorsement, but a long-term plan:
“This is something that whenever I’m done with football, I want it to be my life.”
For a player defined by competitive fire and absolute success, it’s clear that in business, just like in football, Mahomes isn’t content to simply play the game. He’s in it to win. And purely from a fundamental lens, Throne Sport Coffee seems to have all the ingredients to jolt the incumbent beverage category in America.
