Coffee professional and All-NBA basketball player Jimmy Butler celebrated the opening of BIGFACE’s first café in Miami last month.
BY KENNETH R. OLSON
Photos courtesy of BIGFACE
Jimmy Butler, perennial NBA All-Star and avid coffee entrepreneur, reveled in bringing his years’ long plan to life in December 2024 in Miami. Jimmy famously launched his first pop-up café in Orlando, Fla., during the NBA Bubble in 2020. And ever since, he has been building BIGFACE, his consumer brand and coffee company, with the goal of eventually opening retail cafés.
His NBA career may take him away from South Florida soon, but he’s committed to the community long-term with the establishment of BIGFACE’s new café in the Miami Design District. Britt Berg, BIGFACE’s COO, said, “Jimmy’s dream of having a physical location started early in the creation of BIGFACE. But we ultimately started planning for this one in 2023. The full process was about a year and a half.“
The retail space, designed by experiential agency DE-YAN, is minimalist, sleek, and feels very space-age. In fact, the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey“ is one of the main inspirations for the design, and the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece’s timeless futurism is reflected in many of the design elements. “We always say things like ’to the moon’ as a nod to where we want to take BIGFACE. Our design team brought that to life in the shop, giving the space an out-of-this-world feel,“ says Britt.
The opening-night celebration brought some of Jimmy’s famous friends to the café to share a toast with him, including fellow Heat player Kevin Love, music producer DJ Khaled, former Portland Trail Blazer great Carmelo Anthony, global soccer star Paul Pogba, and former NBA player Brandon Jennings.
During the lead-up to the opening night, Jimmy would drop by to talk to the staff and work behind the bar. And that is where Jimmy has always said he wants to spend his time after his basketball career is over—making drinks and welcoming customers in—so it’s no surprise that when he finally had the chance, he took it.
“Jimmy was fully immersed in the process of (creating) the location. We went over designs together, menu, and drink creation, down to what ice and cups we would serve in,“ says Britt. “Every detail was thought through and considered. He has been on bar now that we are open more times than I can count, working alongside baristas and literally serving customers as they come through the door. It seems to be his happy place.“
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