Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. Two weeks ago, with the help of some very industrious internet sleuths, we got to the bottom of Who Roasts for Rudy. We had previously reported that Rudy Giuliani had started his own coffee brand, Rudy’s Coffee. It was certainly weird timing for “America’s Mayor,” as he was currently embroiled in a bankruptcy case stemming from owing $148 million from a defamation suit.
We were less concerned with the personal indiscretions of such a man. What we really wanted to know what who was actually doing all the roasting. The answer is Darron “Don Pablo” Burke of Burke Brands and Don Pablo Coffee in Miami, Florida. This seemed like the natural denouement to the story, but there appears to be an epilogue: Burke Brands is also bankrupt.
Don Pablo may not be too stoked about all the extra attention Rudy’s Coffee is bringing his coffee company. As we previously reported, Giuliani’s new coffee endeavors drew the attention of his creditors, who subpoenaed all information relating to him from Burke Brands, alleging that “the former mayor’s deal with the roaster funnels money into a corporate account linked to Giuliani, a means to divert income away from his debts,” per the Independent.
But it turns out, Burke Brands also filed for bankruptcy, nearly a year before Giuliani did. In December 2022, Burke filed for Chapter 11, which resulted from “facing a cash crunch during the pandemic and having to turn to high-interest lenders,” the brand’s lawyer told the South Florida Business Journal in March.
The brand states they have “emerged from Chapter 11,” but last month “sought to modify a court-approved plan to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors in two large installments, instead asking for monthly payments.” Burke’s lawyer states the amended payment schedule has nothing to do with Rudy’s Coffee or Giuliani.
Despite all this, it still appears to be full steam ahead for Rudy’s coffee. The website is still taking pre-orders to “ship in June.” Some of you eagle-eyed chronologists may have already noted that we are, in fact, in the middle of the very month Rudy’s Coffee is supposed to start going out and that none appears to have just yet. It’s just a little late, it’s still good, it’s still good.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
