What company did Jackie Robinson work for as a vice president after baseball?

After baseball, Jackie Robinson became a vice president of Chock full o’Nuts. He joined the New York coffee company in 1957, becoming the first Black vice president of a major American corporation.

Chock full o’Nuts was best known for its inexpensive coffee and chain of lunch counters in New York City. Robinson’s role reflected the broader direction of his post-baseball life: he remained a public figure while pursuing business, civil-rights activism, broadcasting, and community development. He also became the first Black television analyst in Major League Baseball when he worked on broadcasts for ABC.

Robinson’s corporate position is sometimes overshadowed by his baseball achievements, but it was an important barrier-breaking milestone in its own right. He left the Dodgers after the 1956 season and formally retired as a player in early 1957, choosing a business career rather than joining another team. His later work also included helping establish Freedom National Bank in Harlem and advocating for Black economic opportunity.