Coffee. The one thing Jimmy Butler is quite fond of. In the Miami Heat star’s words, he drinks “so much coffee every day that it’s hard to tell you how many”. This love is what compelled him to start his brand that would deliver the piping hot brew to other NBA players in 2020. Later, he took it upon himself to expand. Post his playing career, Butler would’ve surely welcomed turning his attention to his side business. Unfortunately, that business could face complications, thanks to the new policies of the returning US President.
Donald Trump recently announced his intentions to impose a series of tariffs on all goods from Colombia. Well, then what has this got to do with Jimmy Butler? As it turns out, the US Department of Agriculture claims that Colombia accounts for about 20% of coffee shipped to America! With a blanket 25% tariff set to be placed by the President, the price of coffee, and its associated goods, will increase for US citizens. That does not simply mean that your favorite drink at Starbucks may end up seeing a few more dollars added to the original price. But high prices will also affect coffee manufacturers, including the NBA veteran and his BIGFACE Coffee.
One of Donald Trump’s proposed initiatives was the deportation of “illegal immigrant criminals” residing in the United States. In less than a week, #47 has already put his plans in place. The White House itself highlighted images of planes carrying people to Mexico and Colombia. Unfortunately, both countries blocked the arrival of deportation flights from the U.S. As of now, Trump has yet to take any further action. However, Colombia is set to face the brunt, since their refusal threatens his deportation program.
Trump himself posted that his administration would put in place several actions against Colombia, including a 25% tariff — that he said would be raised to 50% after one week, but they are reportedly holding off.
BREAKING: Trump orders 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia after 2 deportation flights were rejected
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 26, 2025
Since 2021, Jimmy Butler has been making moves to expand his BIGFACE coffee brand. The brew began to be sold commercially at pop-up shops. As highlighted by SB Nation, the coffee was made by sourcing single-origin Ethiopian beans. JB even took inspiration when looking for ways to expand his business. This reportedly caused him to travel to Colombia and meet the owners of La Paz Coffee. They reside in the country’s southwestern region. So, an implementation of higher taxes would affect Butler and his business.
The last few weeks have been difficult for the NBA player. He had earlier been part of some trade rumors, which were quickly shunned by Pat Riley. However, Butler himself added fuel to the fire by stating, “I want my joy back… I want to play with a dominant team”.
This, and Butler’s previous antics, caused him to be suspended for 7 games. On Wednesday, he received an additional suspension from 2 more games for the “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct, and conduct detrimental to the team”. In moments like these, one looks for comfort by diverting attention elsewhere. But his coffee brand could also face problems now!
Over an hour ago, several news sources reported a recent directive by the office of the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro. According to the statement, “The Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has made the presidential aircraft available to facilitate the dignified return of fellow nationals who were to arrive in the country this morning on deportation flights.”
Despite this gesture of goodwill, there is no guarantee that Donald Trump will remove the restrictions. On top of that, Petro also responded by reportedly imposing a matching 25% tariff on US goods. The same was later increased to 50%.
For Jimmy Butler, the imposing risk on his coffee business would not make him sad from a financial viewpoint. After all, coffee means more to him than just an investment…
Jimmy Butler considers BIGFACE coffee brand to be a “love and a passion”
Reports of Butler’s interest in coffee came out when the players were confined to the NBA Bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, discussing his experience with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Butler had revealed, “I’m working on my coffee skills. After my career, I’m opening my coffee shop.” Soon, stories started coming in about Butler making and selling coffee within the Bubble itself!
Using a French Press and coffee beans from El Salvador, Butler started charging $20 for a cup. This was a big price hike from the standard rate. Furthermore, the player would also make excuses for not having change, and reportedly pocket $100 bills!
The memory of those days, plus pursuing another passion, allowed Butler to take a risk with BIGFACE. “I don’t consider this a business venture, though. I consider this like a love and a passion that I have,” Butler said during a 2022 interview with Sprudge.
“I’ve spent so much time studying up on coffee, and how to better the coffee that we have here at the BIGFACE brand and bring it to all different types of people everywhere. It’s not a business venture, that’s all. It’s something that I really enjoy doing. Something that calms me. It’s something that brings me together with so many different people from all over the world and it just humanizes me. I’m not an athlete when I’m drinking coffee.”
For now, it remains to be seen whether Jimmy Butler will voice his opinion on Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The post Suspended Jimmy Butler’s Troubles Worsen As Donald Trump’s Announcement Could Tamper With Heat Star’s Venture appeared first on EssentiallySports.
