Tea Bar

Tea Bar

Franzy VerifiedInformation based on 2026 FDD

Food & Beverage · Coffee & Tea

Investment min
$266K
Total: $266K–$606.7K
Avg gross revenue
N/A
Unit-level, 2026
Franchise fee
$30K–$50K
Per current disclosure
Royalty
6%
of gross revenue
Locations
1
Franchising since 2025

Description

What is Tea Bar?

Premium tea cafe serving made-to-order teas, lattes, and matcha from whole loose-leaf and farm-direct ingredients

Tea Bar® is the Hermès of tea. Founded in Portland in 2014 by Erica Indira Swanson and over one million cups later, we have built the design-forward, premium tea cafe the category was missing, and we are now expanding through franchising. This is not another boba shop. There are no artificial syrups, no powdered mixes, no neon dyes, no pre-made anything. Every drink is made to order from whole, fresh, farm-direct ingredients sourced through our own relationships with growers around the world. We rejected the bagged teas (and their microplastics) that dominate the market and built a loose-leaf, made-to-order system instead. The result is a menu of beautifully crafted teas, lattes, matcha, and seasonal drinks that hold up next to any specialty coffee program, with a customer base that treats Tea Bar as a daily ritual. Design is core to the brand, not a finish. Our Design Director (formerly behind Stumptown, Salt & Straw, and Olympia Provisions) builds every Tea Bar as a minimalist, intentional space. Calm, modern, and unmistakably ours. The aesthetic has earned features in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appétit, Forbes, and more, plus a 35K-strong organic Instagram following. Tea is the fastest-growing beverage category in the U.S., and almost no one is elevating it. Tea Bar franchisees get a decade-tested business model, proprietary recipes, a turnkey buildout package, a dedicated wholesale supply arm, and hands-on support from a founding team that has been building this brand intentionally. Not chasing a trend, but defining a category. If you have been waiting for the Erewhon-meets-Stumptown of tea, you are looking at it.

  • Boba & specialty tea
  • Coffee alternative café
  • Study & remote work friendly
  • Youth & student focused

Location Analysis

Where Tea Bar wins

No strongest regions, top states, or top markets are provided for Tea Bar, leaving the brand's current geographic footprint unverified. The clustering patterns note that tea-focused beverage cafés typically cluster in dense, walkable urban cores near universities, transit nodes, and mixed-use retail corridors, and that small-format tea bar concepts commonly grow in tight metro clusters around an original home market before entering new metros. This describes a market-fit hypothesis rather than the brand's actual deployment. The ideal demographics target younger adults and students, urban professionals seeking coffee alternatives, health- and wellness-oriented consumers interested in loose-leaf, matcha, and boba beverages, and diverse, multicultural urban populations. The ideal population and income ranges emphasize densely populated urban and inner-suburban trade areas with high pedestrian traffic and moderate to above-average discretionary spending. Location requirements call for small-footprint inline retail, endcap, or storefront space with high foot traffic, visibility in walkable retail or campus districts, space for beverage preparation and tea brewing equipment, and co-tenancy with retail, office, or campus traffic generators. No review ratings or customer feedback are available to validate operational execution or guest satisfaction. Prospective franchisees should independently verify territory availability, competitive density, and local tea consumption patterns before site selection.
Total Locations
1
Franchise units
N/A
Corporate locations
1
Avg. sq. footage
Territory check

Is your territory available?

We'll take you through a few quick questions, then Tea Bar confirms availability directly.

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Availability
CanadaInternational

Financial Analysis

The numbers behind Tea Bar

Avg gross revenueN/A
Investment range$266,037 – $606,680
Investment midpoint$436,359
Brand fund2%
Royalty6%
Franchise fee$30,000–$50,000
Min. net worth$500,000
Min. liquid capital$100,000
Tea Bar presents an investment range of $266,037 to $606,680 with a franchise fee between $30,000 and $50,000, positioning it in the moderate tier for specialty beverage concepts. The small-format café model suggests relatively modest build-out and equipment requirements compared to full-service restaurants, though tea brewing equipment, beverage preparation stations, and point-of-sale systems still represent meaningful capital commitments. The brand was founded in 2014, offering a decade of concept development, yet the absence of reported unit count and zero gross revenue data leave critical questions about franchise maturity, existing unit performance, and system-wide traction unanswered. Without unit economics, same-store sales trends, or profitability benchmarks, prospective franchisees face significant information gaps when modeling cash flow, payback periods, and return potential. The beverage-focused menu and limited or no cooking may support lean labor models and simpler operations, but margin structure, cost of goods for specialty teas, and competitive pricing dynamics remain unverified. Investors should conduct thorough due diligence on actual unit performance, Item 19 disclosures if available, franchisor support infrastructure, and supply chain arrangements before committing capital to a system with incomplete operational transparency.
Did you know? Tea Bar is a Coffee & Tea concept in the Food & Beverage industry with a total investment ranging from $266,037 to $606,680. The franchise fee falls between $30,000 and $50,000. Founded in 2014, the brand focuses on tea-focused beverage café operations in specialty retail environments.

Financing partners

Vetted partners, tailored to franchisees

Your Franzy advisor can connect you with these partners later in the process — competitive rates, specialized in franchise financing.

FranFund

Lender

CRF USA

Nonprofit SBA lender; provides financing for franchise acquisitions, startups, and expansion.

Lender

First Bank of the Lake

Lender

Pension Pros

Lender

The model

How Tea Bar works

01
Ownership
Part-Time (Executive)

Owner stays in an executive role — sets strategy, hires a manager, and oversees crews. Typically 5–20 hr/wk after ramp; many keep their day job.

Full-Time

Owner runs the business as their primary job — leads the team day-to-day on the ground, 40+ hr/wk.

02
Revenue
Recurring revenueTransaction-basedBig-ticket salesService-basedProduct sales (retail)Hybrid model
03
Customer
B2B

Sells to businesses, contractors, or property owners.

B2C

Sells directly to consumers and homeowners.

Mixed

Serves both businesses and consumers.

FDD Item 7

Initial investment range

$266K–$606.7K
Most common
$266,037
Minimum
$436,359
Midpoint
$606,680
Maximum

The investment range midpoint (from range reported on Item 7) is $436,359 and financing can reduce cash-at-close by 80–90%.

Over time

Closures

Clean record

No closures disclosed — 1 filing running

Every FDD Item 20 on file reports zero — a clean record, not a gap in our data.

2026
FDD Item 20 · zero in all 1 filings that report itCovers required disclosures only — not every dispute a brand has had.

2026 Franchise Disclosure

FDD documents

Below are items 2, 3, 4, 7, 11 and 19 for Tea Bar's 2026 FDD. The complete FDD is delivered to you directly by the franchisor, per the FTC Franchise Rule.

Estimated initial investment
FDD Item 7 · PDF
Financial performance representations
FDD Item 19 · PDF
Members-only items
Executive team
FDD Item 2 · PDF
Litigation
FDD Item 3 · PDF
Bankruptcy
FDD Item 4 · PDF
Franchisor assistance
FDD Item 11 · PDF
Members only
Unlock the 2026 FDD

Connect to download Items 2, 3, 4, and 11 — direct from the franchisor.

Buyer FAQs

Frequently asked questions

The initial investment for a Tea Bar franchise typically ranges between $266,037.00 and $606,680.00. This includes the franchise fee, equipment, real estate, and other startup costs. To get a detailed breakdown and better understand the financial requirements, we recommend scheduling a call with the Franzy team. We'll walk you through the specifics and answer any questions you might have. For more detailed information, refer to the financial sections of the FDD.

Disclaimer. The information provided on this page is based on the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) we have on record, which was issued in 2026. This information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or business advice. We make no guarantees or claims regarding the completeness or accuracy. Only the franchisor can confirm that the information is complete and accurate and we recommend consulting the franchisor directly for the most recent FDD and regarding any questions that you may have about the information provided.

Tea Bar
Tea Bar
N/A avg revenue · 0+ US franchises