Patrick Mahomes talks Throne Coffee investment, 18 game NFL season

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has added “coffee entrepreneur” to his already packed resume.

The three-time Super Bowl champion has invested in Throne Sport Coffee, adding to the 29-year-old superstar’s portfolio off the field.

As his Chiefs and the rest of the NFL gear up for the upcoming season, Mahomes spoke to CNBC about his interest in coffee, his growing investment portfolio in sports properties, stadium politics in Kansas City and his take on an 18-game NFL season.

Mahomes became the second-largest investor in Throne Sport Coffee in May 2024, with an undisclosed stake.

Today, he’s not only an investor, but also the brand’s lead pitchman and product tester — and a daily drinker.

“It actually started in my first year in the NFL,” Mahomes told CNBC of his coffee habit. “I was in a lot of meetings, and coffee became a functional need. But then I started to really love it, especially black coffee.”

When founder, CEO and beverage industry veteran Mike Fedele approached him with a ready-to-drink option designed to be a healthier caffeine boost, he said it felt like a natural fit for him.

“I really fell in love with just the taste and trying to make sure that what I was putting into my body was good,” Mahomes said.

Fedele, who has worked with major brands like Coca-Cola and BodyArmor, said Throne stands out because it has 10 grams of protein and 40% less sugar than competitors. Throne Sport Coffee has about 50 calories in it with 1 gram of sugar.

For comparison, a ready-to-drink Starbucks Frappuccino can have as many as 300 calories and 47 grams of sugar.

“Given how frequently people that care about what they’re putting into their bodies consume coffee, I felt there needed to be a better for you option,” he said.

Mahomes said his daily caffeine habit includes three coffees a day: one when he wakes up, another before meetings and a third ahead of afternoon prep.

“It’s probably too much,” he laughed, “but with Throne, I know I’m putting something clean in my body, no junk, no sugar, and added electrolytes, and B vitamins.”

On game days? He said he tones it down to just one or two.

The ready-to-drink coffee market is a rapidly growing category. Americans spent $17.7 billion on the category in 2023, according to Technomic.

Despite its growth prospects, Throne is competing in a crowded coffee space, with coffee shop competitors rounding out their ready-to-drink offering. Starbucks announced this week that it is expanding its ready-to-drink lineup, citing the latest consumer trends and growth of the category.

Throne is just one part of Mahomes’ growing investment portfolio. The three-time Super Bowl MVP also holds minority stakes in MLB’s Kansas City Royals, Sporting Kansas…