On the east side of the Landmark Office Towers building across from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, there’s a 10-story banner of LeBron James hanging, where the prodigal son of Akron has his arms spread out, wearing a jersey that reads CLEVELAND where the player’s name is usually stitched. This is LeBron’s city, Cleveland on his back, his brand fortified by a billion-dollar lifetime deal with Nike.
Two blocks east from where LeBron’s image towers over downtown Cleveland is a bar called A.J. Rocco’s—a bar by night and a coffee shop by day. Inside there is a small coffee stand with various blends featured by Cleveland Coffee Company, a coffee brand founded in 2001 by Brendan Walton, a 50-year-old native of the city. On the shelf, there’s one particular coffee package that stands out. It’s called G’Day Mate, and it features the face of Matthew Dellavedova, above a jersey that reads DELLY at the front. The brand isn’t anywhere close to approaching a billion dollars, but LeBron’s unlikely sidekick from last year’s Finals is cultivating his own kind of following in Cleveland.
The origin of Dellavedova’s local coffee brand started in Game 3 of the NBA Finals last year, when a depleted Cavs team took a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors thanks to 20 points from their 25-year-old Australian guard, who was thrust into the spotlight after injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Cavs were suddenly two wins from a championship. But Dellavedova suffered from dehydration in Game 3 and was taken on an ambulance to the hospital for an IV. Before Game 4, Dellavedova announced he would refrain from a pre-game ritual he’s had since his rookie season in the NBA: a cup of black coffee an hour and 15 minutes before tip-off.
Walton was watching at home and took note of the incident, which had become a national headline. He hatched a cross-promotional idea and pitched it to Delly’s team via e-mail last September. Dellavedova was interested, and the two soon bypassed the team and Dellavedova’s agency and corresponded directly via e-mail. The partnership felt organic, said Walton, who calls Dellavedova a “great partner, with a good heart” (which runs counter to how other players in the NBA feel about him, especially after they get tangled up with several of his limbs during a loose ball). In December, the two met at Walton’s warehouse for a two-hour walk-through of the roasting process.
Dellavedova received samples from Walton, and the two eventually settled on a Sumatra and Peruvian blend. Walton was a fan of the Peruvian, which he calls “a medium roast with an awesome fragrance.” Sumatra, an Indonesian island, happens to be the closest coffee region to Dellavedova’s homeland of Australia. Walton wanted a coffee-blend name that reflected Dellavedova’s hustle on the court, but when the name G’Day Mate rolled off his tongue, it sounded perfect.
The Cavs held Australia Day in late January of this season, which made for a perfect launch date for Dellavedova’s coffee blend. Within the first week, shipments were made to 27 different states; many local stores wanted to order as many as 50 bags in order to create a store display. Walton went on a 36-hour radio blitz to promote the new coffee blend. The bag itself has become a novelty item. Sometimes they bring bags of G’Day Mate to Cavs autograph signings.
It’s just before 11 A.M. in Cleveland at morning shootaround after the Cavs’ Game 1 win over the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. The first question I ask Dellavedova is whether he’s already had a cup of coffee in the morning. He laughs and tells me that his caffeine routine only happens on game day. A year after the Finals incident, he’s back to having his cup of coffee before tip-off. “That was just an extreme case of playing a lot of minutes at a very high intensity,” Dellavedova explains. “It didn’t have anything to do with the coffee.”
Coffee is popular in Australia, but Dellavedova didn’t pick up the habit until his junior year at Saint Mary’s College of California. Once he had his first cup, he was hooked. His favorite spot was Si Si Caffe, just five minutes from campus. “It helped me finish a few college papers,” Dellavedova says. Once G’Day Mate launched, many people from back home started hitting up Dellavedova. The coffee bags now ship to Australia. Everyone in Dellavedova’s family is a coffee drinker, except his dad, who made an exception to try his son’s custom blend.
During All-Star Weekend in February, Dellavedova met up with fellow Australian players in the NBA and gave them each a bag. All of his Cavs teammates also received a bag, although he has not solicited reviews from them. When I asked whether LeBron had tried G’Day Mate, Dellavedova said, “I’m not sure. I’m not even sure if he’s a coffee drinker.” (According to a 2014 GQ cover story, LeBron “refuses to have anything to do with coffee.”)
The partnership with Walton has been beneficial for both sides. For Dellavedova, it’s been a learning experience. “Brendan knows a lot of coffee,” Dellavedova said. “I saw how excited he gets about coffee and all the different beans he uses.” At home, Dellavedova has a French press. On the road, he will find a cup of coffee on his own. Walton thinks Dellavedova is on the cusp of getting more sophisticated with his coffee preferences. “Once people get into French press and pour-overs, they take it to another level,” Walton said. “The burr grinder? That’s a step above.”
These days, when Dellavedova walks around in downtown Cleveland, fans will come up to him and let him know that they just had his coffee blend, or simply shout G’Day Mate in an Australian accent. It’s almost as if he’s become a local celebrity. Even though he’s seen as a borderline dirty player and despised by opposing fanbases, there’s plenty of appreciation for Dellavedova in the city of Cleveland. Just imagine if he somehow plays another huge role in the Finals this year, and if the Cavs end up winning it all. The coffee brand might just be the beginning. “We’re striving to be the Wheaties box of coffee companies in Cleveland,” said Walton.
As for potential alternatives for his pre-game boost, Dellavedova has never tried five-hour energy drinks, and rejected the idea of replacing coffee with Red Bull. “I just like the taste of coffee,” he said.
