The NFL’s Denver Broncos and affiliate organization Stadium Mgmt Co LLC filed a civil suit last week alleging that the team’s now-defunct official coffee partner is infringing on intellectual property while owing money.
Filed in a Colorado court in Denver County, the suit alleges that the defendant, Drive Coffee Inc., owes the team $1.5 million.
It argues that the debt violates the contract between the organizations, and that Drive used the Broncos brand to sell products without proper authorization.
The Broncos announced in December 2022 that they’d reached a multiyear sponsorship agreement with Drive Coffee, whereby the Denver-based company became the team’s “official coffee partner.” The deal included Broncos-branded coffees that were sourced, roasted and packaged by Drive, which was founded in 2018.
Drive Coffee, a sporty brand that was also the official partner of Formula 1, offered unique oil-can-style packaging for some of its products, while also offering ready-to-drink cold brews and other direct-to-consumer packages.
The company appears to have ceased operations around May 2024, when its website was no longer active and social media channels were no longer updated. DCN’s attempts to reach Drive Coffee for comment on this story were not successful.
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