The rise of celebrity brands in specialty coffee

The Rise of the Celebrity Coffee Brand

In the last few years, more celebrities and influencers have entered the coffee scene, using their fame to create coffee brands that highlight specialty beans and sometimes flashy branding. This trend is having an impact in the industry, introducing new coffee experiences to a wider audience and shifting how coffee is marketed. Is all growth, positive growth?

One notable example is NBA star Jimmy Butler with his Big Face Coffee, which started during the NBA bubble and has now grown into a brand focused on high-quality, direct trade coffee. Another is Emma Chamberlain, the YouTube sensation behind Chamberlain Coffee, known for its fun, cutesy branding and eco-friendly approach that resonates with a younger audience.

Similarly, Hugh Jackman has made an impact with his Laughing Man Coffee, which emphasizes ethical sourcing and giving back to coffee communities. Another one that’s super fascinating, yet maybe not so much in the public eye of celebrity is Nayib Bukele; the President of El Salvador who made Global news when he adopted Bitcoin as legal tender and began purchasing it in the National Treasury in 2021—unrelated to this newsletter topic, we believe in his Bitcoin decision and thesis. This year, one of Nayib’s his national projects involved the launch of a “Made in El Salvador” coffee brand, called Ring of Fire, selling through a roasting partner in the US, leveraging a US client base to subsidize coffee business startups in El Salvador.

For coffee professionals, the entry of these brands into our market presents both opportunities and challenges. While these brands help boost consumer interest in specialty coffee, they also introduce new competition, backed by large followings and substantial marketing power. There’s also the consideration that they’re advertising “specialty” yet some sell a product that’s not so “special” at all…

Dave’s Take;

I think the specialty coffee industry has a love-hate relationship with celebrity and influencer coffee brands. Coffee professionals can often sense inauthenticity in the branding and marketing of these ventures, which sometimes feel disconnected from the heart of specialty coffee. However, when these brands are done right, they bring immense value. Their large, devoted followings help introduce specialty coffee to a wider audience, boosting consumer education about what sets specialty coffee apart from the mass market.

There is no doubt that the involvement of top influencers helps the specialty coffee industry break out of its niche status and grow into the larger market. By attracting mainstream attention, these brands open up opportunities for collaboration and help elevate consumer expectations. For coffee businesses, this means tapping into new markets and expanding their customer base. When done well, we should welcome these brands with open arms, allowing their incredible reach to introduce more people to truly amazing coffee.

It’s not just celebrities from outside the industry who are helping coffee grow—some of our very own influencers, like World Barista Champions and popular YouTubers, are breaking into the mainstream as well. Their knowledge, authenticity, and passion for coffee resonate with a broader audience, helping bridge the gap between specialty coffee and the everyday consumer. As these industry insiders gain visibility, they provide the perfect balance of expertise and excitement, helping drive innovation and further expanding specialty coffee’s reach.

The outcome of this trend is still unclear. We will undoubtedly see some brands and personalities come and go in the coffee space. The key for us as an industry is to remain open-minded, recognizing when a brand—whether homegrown or not—is doing a great job of representing specialty coffee. When they bring quality, transparency, and education to their audience, they contribute to the growth and future of specialty coffee, and that’s something we can all support.

Cole’s Take;

In my time studying wine, I was fascinated to deep dive on the model known as “custom crush”. The idea is a facility where people can go to create a brand, work with a team of professionals to do the R&D on the product and complete all the necessary tasks in order to present the product to market. This allows you access with simply a concept and a brand, leave the heavy lifting to the experts, who have the equipment and significantly lower your risk, or, prove your concept.

We don’t truly have this format in coffee, or if we do, I’ve never seen a true model of it; however, we’re starting to see more and more big time brands enter the space, such as one I’ve followed since launching in the NBA Bubble, Jimmy Butler @ Big Face Coffee. I don’t even want to tell you how many times I DM’d Jimmy, hoping to get the opportunity to roast and work with his brand. Never heard back, but hey, shooters, shoot, and I’m glad to see buddies @ Onyx Coffee doing a quality job on his product

The segment for “custom crush” is very common in the world of wines and spirits and it’s a segment I believe we should be more open to accepting and promoting.

If we as roasters can plant the seed that we’ll support you, them, whoever, in a full package product launch, they just bring the brand, the concept and the marketing, we can benefit in economies of scale in both our roasting and sourcing programs. It doesn’t need to be celebrities, as that obviously feels out of reach to you and I… Perhaps, if you had an in-house sticker printer and some stock bags, you could reach out to local business for customs branded coffees for holidays, weddings, events, or other unique situations.

I think the potential for “custom crush” or “white labeling” is significant and it could mostly build through word-of-mouth.

Reading: JAB Holding Co. has built a major coffee empire by acquiring brands like Keurig, Peet’s, Stumptown, and Intelligentsia. However, as a humorous Bloomberg article notes, despite these high-profile acquisitions, the Reimann family would have made more by simply investing in index funds. For a fun read on JAB’s mixed success, check out the full article on Bloomberg

Watching: In a recent Architectural Digest video, NBA star Jimmy Butler showcases his Southern California home, highlighting his Big Face Coffee shop, which is unreal. Butler’s dedication to specialty coffee is evident in the space, reflecting his passion for high-quality beans and brewing. Through Big Face Coffee, he’s brought more attention to specialty coffee, showing that his influence extends beyond the court and into the coffee industry. I guess we’re big time on Big Face this week… Maybe we’re excited about NBA Tip-off next week?

Listening: The Tim Ferriss Show with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. This episode dives into how small changes can lead to major improvements over time. Perfect for anyone looking to level up their daily routines—whether in life or brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

Brewing: We’re coming off big energy in Japan. Monday the 14th, our last full day before we flew to Hong Kong, we did a bar takeover at Leaves Coffee Roasters in collaboration with Martin Woelfl, the World Brewers Cup Champion and founder of WildKaffee. We shared a beautiful range of coffees from each of our respective roasters and the highlight for me was that Martin and I both had a Hacienda La Esmeralda Cañas Verdes, Tumaco lot, he had a fruity Natural Geisha, I had a delicate, classic Washed Geisha from Rosso. What are the chances we have sibling lots??

I’d like to add an additional piece to follow up on last week’s writing. We wrote about the intersection of consistency and coffee competitions. Following that piece, as coaches, we won the 1st and 2nd place in the Japanese Barista Championship—one of the premier Championships in the World. We worked with a 3rd competitor, Yuka-san, who’s final ranking has not yet been released.

Congratulations to Hiroki Ito for 1st place, using a Janson Washed Geisha and an El Diviso Aji, as well as Jun Abe on 2nd place, using a Esmeralda Washed Geisha and a Zarza Pacamara. Hiroki will get the opportunity to represent Japan in the 2025 World Barista Championship in Milan.

the rock and roll team here at Leaves Coffee Roasters

respond with a photo of your brew bar or get creative with an AI generated scene and we’ll feature and share in an upcoming week of BTD

Distance: Buy the Drip run club. Clocking some kilometers. Two people ran marathons this week, big ups to them. We seem to be stuck in this 400 kilometer range the last few weeks. Help us push a few more kilometers through this week?

as a group, we’re capable of covering a lot of distance

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” — Dean Karnazes.”

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