The Miami Heat forward wants his brand, Big Face, to revolutionize the way we view coffee.
On the sidereal day I talk to Jimmy Butler , he ’s already had four cup ofcoffee — despite it only being midday . I myself have had a cup , and can feel my essence race from a compounding of the caffein and nerves when we hop on a call . “ How do you not get anxious from four cup of coffee ? ” I ask , at sea . “ I just love it , ” is his simple reply . “ One cupful easily turns into four when I ’m sit around with friends , telling stories , and sharing deep brown . ”
relationship and storytelling are at the heart of Butler ’s ebullience for chocolate , but it was n’t always this way of life . Butler began his coffee berry entrepreneurship in the pandemic - induced bubble during the 2020 NBA season . It started somewhat as a joke . Butler know the coffee available in Orlando was n’t up to sniff to what he and other NBA players were habituate with boozing , so he brought his own espresso political machine as a way to make some cash . unbeknown to him , this was the beginning of an intact umber brand , Big Face .
“ As I was sitting in my hotel room in the Orlando bubble , all I could retrieve about was how I could bustle about these guys out of their cash , ” Butler deadpans . The hustle came by way of java — latte , pour over , cappuccinos , you name it , he had it . no matter of size , each crapulence be $ 20 in cash , a steep Leontyne Price for the average individual but a fair exchange for professional basketball players . “ I knew peoplehadcash and no one was using it because of Covid , so I decided to take cash . ”
Photos courtesy of Big Face; Design by Maitane Romagosa
“ One loving cup easily turns into four when I ’m sitting with friend , telling stories , and portion out coffee . ”
Butler ’s hope was that his teammates and young man players would bust out their $ 100 visor — or “ big side ” as he referred to them — and he ’d be able to shrug when he did n’t have change and pocket the cash anyway . “ It never really worked , ” he laughs . “ Nobody ever gave me a hundred . ”
In fact , Butler himself was getting swindled by his then teammate , Goran Dragíc . “ While I was try out to hustle masses out of their money , Goran was literally hustle me out of my coffee bean , ” Butler pronounce , “ and I did n’t recognize it until after the fact that he never paid for a cup . ” According to Butler , Dragíc was strategical : he ’d sweep by for a couple ofcups of coffee , exchanging stories with Butler about summertime in Slovenia or strategizing the following day ’s secret plan , before slinking off to exercise , three cups down and no immediate payment exchanged .
Photo courtesy of Big Face
But Butler is good - natured about it , and says the whole experience only heightened his pastime in coffee . He imbibe everything : pour overs , coffee cappuccino , and mochas . His goal with every cupful is to improve how he makes it — include challenging others to latte artistry competitions ( although he admits that he ca n’t “ do a damn thing ” when it comes to caffe latte fine art ) . His milk of choice is oat , but even using that , no art egress within the foam . “ My script are too big and shaky , ” he laughs .
So far , he ’s research Costa Rica , and he ’s slat to travel to Africa . He also desperately wants to manoeuver to Brazil , not just for thecoffee culture , but because his favorite football player , Neymar , is from the South American area ( he hopes for a Big Face collaboration with the famed soccer sensation in the time to come ) .
As of now , Big Face presently source edible bean from Ethiopia , Honduras , Colombia , and El Salvador . “ I get to go to all of these amazing land and learn about their cultures and what it take away to make the complete cup of coffee bean , ” Butler says , “ and just be grateful and thankful for the individuals that are assign their life ’s work into a umber farm . ”
Photo courtesy of Big Face
husbandry coffee is a grueling process , and Butler witnessed this up close and is mortify by every sip of coffee he ’s had since . “ Every single day they ’re waking up and they ’re toil , and I abide by and regard that more than anything , ” he says . He likens it to his own guile in hoops — waking up betimes , hustling , and putting a smile on mass ’s faces .
Although Big Face is a coffee brand , Butler wants so much more for it . He hopes to educate people on coffee and uplift coffee farmer — something he admits that he is still memorize about every Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . He ’s launch a product ingathering that includes a tennis two - slice , hoodies , hats , and burnt umber mugs . He ’s also partner with Ben Van Leeuwen ofVan Leeuwenice pick for a modified edition Big Face affogato - flavour meth cream .
Like coffee , internal-combustion engine emollient lend itself to be the perfect vehicle for conversation — so combining the two feel like a no - brainer . The frosting emollient swear on Big Face beans source from Ethiopia swirled with a milk custard base and is presently available at Van Leeuwen scoop workshop and online .
The collaboration is just the first of many aspirations Butler has for Big Face . “ I woolgather of having a bunch of coffee bar around the world , where people from all different backgrounds and cultures come and enjoy umber , ” he says wistfully . “ I want people to come together and spill about life , and teach each other about one another — only sound things . ”
