Kupp of Joe? Cooper opens coffee shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Cooper Kupp has hauled in plenty of touchdowns across his nine-year NFL career. Now, he's looking for a score in the coffee world. Fresh off his second Super Bowl ring, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is opening a coffee shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for his brand, Dodo Coffee. Kupp and his wife, Anna, are part of an ownership group that includes Kupp's sister-in-law and her husband, as well as Anna's parents. Designed by esteemed architect Jeffrey Dungan, the roughly 500-square-foot brick-and-mortar shop opens next Monday. Kupp told ESPN that at first glance it looks "a little bit like an old orthodox church," but it's ultimately meant to be a gathering place for people in the community. "As much as we look forward to being able to provide people with the very best coffee, the very best product," he said, "it's also about providing them the best service and also being able to connect with people [in] a very meaningful way." The endeavor ends a challenging chapter in Dodo Coffee's history. It launched in 2024 and operated out of a small, white brick store in Arkansas that originally pawned gold. Kupp and his group took over the building and began selling gold in the form of sourced coffee beans from around the world. However, eminent domain shut down the building in early 2025, sending them scrambling. They operated out of a trailer while the search for a new shop began. Dungan was working on a house for Kupp and his family when Kupp came to him with a proposition: "Any chance you want to build a little 700-foot coffee shop for us?" Dungan graciously accepted. "We shared what we were about, who we are. And he just built us, designed for us basically this building that was going to fit all the things, all the intentional things, that we're about and try and make them a physical place to come drink coffee," Kupp said. The new building had to reflect the effort the company puts into creating an intentional product, Kupp explained. Dodo makes its own syrups and sources milk from a farm. The coffee beans originate from places such as Indonesia, Ethiopia and Hawai'i. The shop had to be as much about the experience of walking through it and enjoying the space as it is about the caffeine rush after first sips. In came Dungan, who began to think about how drinking coffee is a daily ritual for many people. He likened it to an athlete repeating the same exercises. That led him to design "a cathedral to coffee," he told ESPN. The compact shape and structure had to be one that people would notice. Dungan wanted to go all-in on making it the coolest "500-square-foot building that you could do." "I wanted it to sort of make people stop and go, 'Well, what the hell is that?'" Dungan said. "I think we might've overshot that goal a little bit." But, Kupp's enthusiasm surprised Dungan the most. The first renderings didn't drive him away, which Dungan added says a lot about the star receiver. The result is what Kupp referred to as "incredible" and "beautiful." What he's looking forward to the most is the reaction of people when they first walk into the white stucco building with a curved roof and big overhangs. Dungan described the shop's entrance as "this sort of procession." He compared it to an ancient Roman bath with a hole in the roof and plants on the ground. It reminds Dungan of his favorite morning routine: drinking coffee. "There's all this stuff going on in a pretty small area, so it's sort of, to me, it's kind of like caffeine," Dungan said. "It's there to stimulate you. It's there to kind of make the place more interesting and fun of an experience." It all ties into Kupp and his ownership group's vision for the brand. The first-team All-Pro wide receiver's passion for coffee poured over when discussing elements of Dodo Coffee that are important to him. It's about bringing the brand's vision to life in an artistic way. Kupp diligently broke down the process that goes into drinking coffee, from the farmer picking beans to having it steaming in one's favorite mug. The brand makes sure to work with the farms to offer the best coffee possible. Oftentimes, there's exploitation and a "lack of intention" from the beginning in the coffee world, Kupp explained. They pay a premium to take care of communities, which in turn takes care of coffee "the way they are supposed to," he said. The beans are imported to temperature-controlled warehouses to eliminate potential mold. Dodo Coffee then completes a washed process to prepare them for roasting. Once the beans reach the customers' hands, there are special instructions for certain beans. Kupp pinpointed the expensive and rare Geisha bean. It follows a specific brewing process, and the full taste won't be achieved if not brewed properly. It's a situation they hope to avoid when a customer roasts the beans themselves. "There's an intention all the way through to be like how can we also just make sure that you're getting the very best. That you are going to, by the time you're enjoying the coffee, that you're having it the way you're supposed to," Kupp said. Kupp's step-by-step breakdown to ESPN might make him seem like the Willy Wonka of coffee. But he's not the first professional athlete to be involved in the coffee business. Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes helped launch Throne Sport Coffee last year, a ready-to-drink cold brew. NBA star Jimmy Butler famously started "BIGFACE Coffee" during the 2020 NBA bubble, charging $20 a cup. The brand now has a shop in Miami. As Kupp opens his own shop in Arkansas, he's looking to express a new coffee process, too. "We don't want you to come here and feel like you walk up to the window, they hand you your coffee, you're gone. ... Some people have to have coffee that way and I get it," he said. "But we also want to have the opportunity for you to come in and open the door, walk into the coffee shop, walk through, walk into our space, see the space, see what we've created for you to enjoy." It's Kupp's latest golden ticket in what's been a golden year.