While Dutch Bros, 7 Brew and even McDonald’s battle over espresso and energy drinks, HTeaO has quietly built a $147 million business doing something nobody else is fighting over: iced tea. The Amarillo, Texas-based chain generated over $147 million in sales in 2025, up 26.7% year-over-year, and finished the year with 178 locations across eight states, according to Restaurant Business.
The family-owned brand, founded in 2009 by Justin Howe and his parents Gary and Kim Hutchens, just brought on industry veteran Brian Wise as CEO to lead its next phase of growth, backed by fresh investment from Crux Capital and Trive Capital. Wise spent the past 7.5 years at Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers before making the jump.
HTeaO’s differentiator isn’t just the 20 base tea flavors customers can mix and match. It’s the water. The chain runs tap water through a reverse osmosis purification system, then adds back specific minerals to bring out the tea’s flavor. It’s such a core part of the brand that HTeaO sells the water itself by the gallon.
“It is the centerpiece of the brand,” Wise said. “It’s a quality component that is what leads to the consistency of the product.”
Coffee and snacks are next on the growth list, but tea, and the water behind it, remains the whole point.
