Start a The Human Bean Franchise in 2024

2024 Franchise 500 Rank: #131 Ranked #87 last year

Initial investment: $562K - $1.3M

Units as of 2024: 170 40.5% over 3 years

The Human Bean is a leading expresso coffee franchisor that attends to drive-thru customers. The company strives to capitalize on the coffee and beverage market by offering nothing short of premium coffee with unmatched customer service.

The Human Bean was founded in 1998 in Ashland, Oregon. The first location was run by two families who embarked on their espresso dream. Dan and Rhonda Hawkins, together with Tom Casey and his spouse, are the founders. The coffee brand quickly gained traction and became successful. Since beginning to franchise in 2002, The Human Bean has expanded to over 100 locations across the U.S.

Why You May Want to Start a The Human Bean Franchise

The Human Bean franchise rewards its franchisees as much as possible since they do most of the heavy lifting. Franchisees do not work for the company; they instead work as a team with the management to ensure its prosperity.

The Human Bean encourages a single-sided building design with an order station and menu board to increase accuracy. Unlike other coffee franchises, you do not need a double-sided drive-thru design. The Human Bean's single-sided design matches the speed of most double-sided drive-thrus and increases flexibility when selecting an optimal location.

The management team is mainly composed of people who have managed several corporate locations. This is why The Human Bean can deliver the expertise and experience needed by franchisees to grow in this business. For over twenty years, the company has operated through a proven business model.

What Might Make The Human Bean a Good Choice?

There are several decisions you have to make as a franchisee before opening a location. Your choice of location and cost, like leasing, will significantly affect the cost of your investment.

The Human Bean offers an option for franchise fee amortization and does not charge a royalty fee like many other franchise companies. The lack of payments and amortization ensures that you are off to a good start with low startup costs. To be part of The Human Bean team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment that, in addition to the franchise fee, will include any other potential startup fees.

How to Open a The Human Bean Franchise

As you decide if you wish to open a The Human Bean franchise, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a franchise would do well in your community. If there are already multiple coffee shops in the area in which you wish to open the franchise, then it may not be the best place to start.

Whether you're looking for a drive-thru coffee shop for sale or want to start from scratch, you'll need to start in the same place. Start your franchise journey by filling out and submitting a franchise application. On this application, you will fill in your personal and financial information, preferred location to open a The Human Bean location, and more.

A The Human Bean franchise representative will carefully review your application. If you qualify to become a The Human Bean franchisee, you will receive a notification of approval from the company. After approval, you will proceed to sign a franchise agreement and begin your journey to success with The Human Bean franchise support team by your side.

Company Overview

About The Human Bean

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Coffee, Breakfast/Brunch Restaurants, Food: Quick Service, Beverages
Founded	1998
Parent Company	Casey Hawkins Inc.
Leadership	Dan Hawkins and Tom Casey, Founders
Corporate Address	623 Rossanley Dr. Medford, OR 97501
Social	Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2002 (22 years)
# of employees at HQ	36
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	170 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a The Human Bean franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$30,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$562,390 - $1,290,931
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$500,000 - $1,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$200,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$5,000 off franchise fee
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	The Human Bean has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	80 hours
Classroom Training	40 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	5
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes