Throne Sport Coffee’s CEO saw an opening for an RTD coffee with less sugar

With celebrity-backed products inundating the beverage market, one new coffee brand believes it is carving out a niche for active adults seeking a less sugary alternative.

Throne Sport Coffee launched last month with the help of its famous lead investor: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The company sells ready-to-drink iced coffee with functional attributes like electrolytes and B vitamins. The brand also touts a lower sugar count. Their Mocha Java, Salted Caramel and French Vanilla flavors have just 50 calories and 8g of natural cane sugar. The brand’s Black only has 25 calories and 1g of natural cane sugar. Throne offers coffee in four varieties: Black, French Vanilla, Salted Caramel and Mocha Java.

Founder and CEO Michael Fedele — a beverage industry veteran who previously served in executive roles at BodyArmor — told Food Dive that he saw an opening for a ready-to-drink coffee that delivered on taste but cut out sugar and included added benefits.

Fedele began drinking black coffee 13 years ago after he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and could not consume sugar. He wanted to create a coffee product that could provide a more functional alternative to other products on the market.

“If you walk in to the coffee section of the convenience store and see that glass bottle product that is the number one SKU in ready-to-drink coffee with a big prominent brand name, when you turn it over you’ll see it has 300 calories and 46 grams of sugar,” Fedele said. “Why do consumers have to indulge in something like that if they just want to get caffeine to get them going? We decided to create a better-for-you option.”

Throne Sport Coffee has five full-time employees, all of whom previously worked at BodyArmor. The company expects to expand the team. According to Fedele, the initial response to the product from consumers has been very positive, and retailers are excited about the product because of the variety it brings to RTD coffee shelves.

After Fedele was introduced to Mahomes through mutual acquaintances, he said the NFL star was instantly drawn to the product, as he drinks four or five coffees a day. According to Fedele, Mahomes is involved at a very high level shaping the direction for the brand.

“The active adult deserves more from their coffee, so he immediately understood the proposition and felt it was important to him,” Fedele said.

Throne Sport Coffee has its eye on the future, as the brand hopes to slot into the regular coffee consumption of consumers with an athletic lifestyle. Fedele said the brand has a “deep innovation pipeline,” but is going to remain focused on ready-to-drink coffee items for the near future. During his tenure at BodyArmor, the CEO said he learned to focus on what’s in front of you while still thinking ten steps ahead.

“I can come out tomorrow and launch a dozen different coffee variations and products, but if none of them work, what does it matter? We’re really making sure that we’re focused on building this ready-to-drink from the jump,” Fedele said. “But I’m a marketer, so I’ve got a bunch of ideas to grow Throne Sport Coffee over the years.”