Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea

Sweetwaters was founded in 1993 by Lisa and Wei Bee in Ann Arbor, MI. Both Lisa and Wei grew up in families that owned restaurants. They witnessed firsthand not only the benefits of business ownership, but also the challenges of operating a full-service restaurant. Sweetwaters has spent nearly 25 years continually developing and refining a semi-absentee business model that is far easier to operate than a full-service restaurant. Sweetwaters specializes in hand crafted artisanal drinks and a limited food menu, creating a café model that is highly profitable and scalable for its franchise owners. Sweetwaters provides affordable luxury to a loyal and diverse community of guests who establish a regular routine of frequenting their locations. We invite you to see how Sweetwaters has created a deliciously different and addictive café experience.

The Coffee & Tea Industry

The staff at Sweetwaters looks forward to helping you capitalize on the fastest growing niche in the restaurant business! Read on about the coffee and tea industry.

While fast food businesses are growing at a rate of 2% each year, coffee shops grow more than 7% annually, making it the fastest growing niche in the restaurant industry. The US coffee shop industry includes more than 22,000 stores with combined annual revenue of about $12 billion.

The coffee shop business is driven by a unique set of characteristics that are unmatched in business ownership. These attributes attract professional men and women to our business and become the foundation of our franchisees success:

• 54% of Americans drink coffee every day
• 40% of 18-24-year-old drink specialty coffee
• Specialty coffee is growing by 7% per year
• 40% of Americans drink tea every day
• Specialty tea is growing by 8-10% per year

Benefits of Owning a Sweetwaters Café:

• Ability to keep a full-time job
• Managers run café
• Open multiple cafés
• Limited flexible time commitment
• Multiple revenue streams
• Cash business with no receivables
• Community involvement
• Low investment ($245K - $395K)
• Backed by the Franworth family of brands – a winning team with decades of industry experience
• Habit forming product!

Ideal Candidates

Sweetwaters is looking for professional men and women with strong management and leadership skills, sound business and financial acumen, as well as a focus on customer service. If you possess these attributes, along with a strong desire to succeed, while having a positive impact on your community, we invite you to learn more by filling out the inquiry form.