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HTeaO's First Franchisee Opens the Brand's 100th Location After Continued Multi-Unit Success

College Station, Texas — HTeaO, America's largest iced tea franchise, is celebrating a historic brand milestone with the opening of its 100th location on January 20 at 815 Wellborn Rd, College Station, TX. Coming off an impressive year of franchise development, HTeaO opened 34 locations and awarded 124 franchise agreements across the country in 2023. With QSR concepts on the rise, multi-unit owners are flocking to the franchise opportunity wanting to expand their portfolios.

A full circle moment for the leading iced tea brand, the 100th location is owned by the same franchisee who signed the first franchise agreement with HTeaO five years ago. Bryan Benson, HTeaO's first franchisee, has continued to invest in the brand with four open locations and two more on the way, and says the success speaks for itself.

"It's been amazing to see the growth with HTeaO over the past five years since we signed the first-ever franchise agreement," said Benson. "College Station is a bustling community filled with college students and growing with young families. The vibrant town is the perfect place to bring HTeaO's fun concept. We look forward to bringing another taste of Texas with our freshly brewed, made daily iced tea blends."

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Benson and his team will be hosting a large celebration on Saturday, January 20 from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM at 815 Wellborn Rd. Guests are invited to attend and celebrate with the entire College Station community, and participate in the following festivities.

The celebration will begin with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the College Station Chamber of Commerce with members of the corporate team in attendance.

The event will have several food trucks including Napa Flats and Raging Bull Street Tacos, and activities for kids including a bouncy house.

Aggie 96.1 will be on site playing country music and hosting their live radio broadcast.

The first 30 guests in line will receive swag bags filled with various HTeaO merchandise inside to commemorate the 100th location and HTeaO gift cards.

Throughout the day HTeaO will also be conducting giveaways for prizes including; free tea for a year, a Yeti cooler, and limited edition t-shirts.

"As the specialty beverage industry continues to evolve, we are excited to have strong brand recognition as we open our 100th location," said Justin Howe, Founder and CEO of HTeaO. "Building this brand and becoming a household name in a rising industry is rewarding for the entire HTeaO Team and we can't wait to continue to grow in 2024."

Throughout 2023, HTeaO has continued to branch into new states across the nation by securing agreements in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, South Carolina, and Tennessee. This success of the brand has not gone unnoticed, as HTeaO has ranked on the highly sought-after Entrepreneur Franchise 500® ranking four years in-a-row and landed at number nine on the 2023 Top New and Emerging Franchises list.

HTeaO is committed to providing a high-quality product, with all its ingredients fresh and 100 percent natural, in a fun and clean environment. Known for its 26 flavors of ultra-premium teas ranging from coconut to Georgia peach, these caffeinated and decaffeinated tea varieties come in both sweet or unsweet options, and any flavors can be combined to create something unique.

In addition to its wide array of teas and coffees, including a new partnership with Free Rein, each location offers several healthy grab-and-go snacks, home brew kits, ground and whole bean coffee, apparel and accessories. The community-driven organization also believes in brewing purpose. Every cup can make a difference, and locations frequently host promotions to give back.

The brand currently operates in six different states, has over 300 stores in development and projects to have 500 locations open by the end of 2026.

HTeaO is a unique franchise concept that has perfected a simplistic business model, dealing primarily in iced tea. With all natural ingredients, the brand has created its own supply chain, to ensure each store receives all essential products, and helps keep costs low. Striving for precise consistency, each store is equipped with its own proprietary water plant, creating pure and consistent tasting water.

About HTeaO
HTeaO is the leading iced tea franchise and is breaking into a niche category within the beverage industry. With a cost-effective business model, the brand operates their own supply chain, significantly lowering the cost of goods. HTeaO serves ultra-premium tea, water and coffee related products to customers in-store and through a drive-thru. 26 handcrafted flavors of sweetened and unsweetened tea are sold at each location, created with a proprietary water filtration system, and 100% all natural ingredients. In early January of 2023, HTeaO announced a minority partnership with two Dallas based Private equity firms: Crux Capital and Trive Capital. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the partnership will help to ensure HTeaO's stable expansion. HTeaO believes in creating a welcoming atmosphere and makes a large effort to give back to the local community. For more information about the franchise opportunity, visit https://hteao.com/franchise/.

Wayne Moore