The Human Bean Franchise Cost 2026: Fee, Investment, No Royalty

Per its FDD issued February 25, 2026 (amended May 5, 2026), a Human Bean franchise costs $672,000 to $1,537,000 to open, with a $35,000 fee and no royalty; instead, the franchisor earns from required supply purchases and a 1% brand fee.

The FDD is issued by Casey Hawkins, Inc. Its Item 7 investment range is the opening-budget reference here. The official FAQ, checked October 13, 2026, gives a different upper limit, disclosed below.

How much does a Human Bean franchise cost?

Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $35,000, including a non-refundable $5,000 site analysis fee. The fee buys entry into the system; it is only part of the opening budget. Item 7 estimates total initial investment of $672,000 to $1,537,000, excluding area development. The cover page says $133,000 to $140,200 must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.

The investment table covers the site, build-out, equipment, inventory, training expenses and initial operating funds. Use the coffee franchise cost guide to organize an opening budget, then use the disclosed Item 7 categories for this brand.

The FAQ versus the FDD

Item	Official FAQ, checked October 13, 2026	FDD issued February 25, 2026, amended May 5, 2026
Initial franchise fee	$35,000	$35,000, including the $5,000 site analysis fee
Total initial investment	$672,000 to $1,527,000	$672,000 to $1,537,000, Item 7
Veteran discount	20% off the initial franchise fee	Not stated in Item 5

The FAQ and the FDD disagree on the upper investment limit. The figures remain separate here; the FDD range leads this page. Neither supplied source explains the difference.

Qualification requirements and veterans

The official FAQ, checked October 13, 2026, states: “Franchise candidates must have a minimum net worth of $500,000, and a minimum of $250,000 liquid assets.” Those are applicant requirements, separate from the Item 7 opening budget.

For veterans, the same FAQ states: “Yes, we are proud to offer a 20% discount off our initial franchise fee.” Item 5 does not state a veteran discount. The discount is therefore attributed to the FAQ, not represented as an FDD term.

The no-royalty model, explained

Item 6 states: “We do not charge a royalty fee. We derive revenue from the sale of coffee and other supplies to you by us or our designated suppliers.” Item 8 explains: “Because we do not charge a royalty, our primary source of revenue apart from franchise fees is the THB supply chain.”

Item 8 reports the required-purchase revenue and its sources exactly as follows:

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, we received revenue of $7,968,657 from the sale of goods or services that you are required to purchase from us or our approved suppliers, representing about 79.1% of our total sales of $10,074,867. We receive revenue from (i) rebates from approved suppliers, including Centerline (which our directors own); (ii) margin on direct sales to franchisees, of between 3% and 40% of the cost of the goods; and (iii) sales to our affiliates listed in Item 1. Except as stated, our affiliates do not derive revenue from your purchase of required goods or services.

These are franchisor revenue disclosures, not franchisee earnings. The margin range is measured against the cost of goods, not store sales. It cannot be treated as a royalty percentage on a franchisee’s revenue.

A useful comparison needs both the recurring fees and actual supply costs. The no-royalty franchise guide explains replacement costs, and the franchise royalty fee guide explains percentage royalties. Use the calculator to compare a 1% brand fee with a percentage royalty at your volume, keeping required supplies and other fees separate.

Ask Human Bean owners how supply pricing works out

Our free validation-call script includes the questions that test a no-royalty model: product markup, required suppliers and margin at real volume. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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Item 6: monthly and periodic fees

The fee names, amounts and due dates below reproduce the Item 6 table, with line breaks joined.

Name of Fee	Amount	Due Date
Brand Fee	1% of Adjusted Gross Sales Revenues (may increase up to 2%)	Monthly by EFT
PoS System	$325/month	When incurred
Mobile App and Loyalty Rewards	$80/month	When incurred
Gift Cards	$25/month	When incurred
Content Management Digital Menu Boards	$15/month	When incurred
Renewal Fee	$3,000	Before signing successor franchise agreements.
Additional Training Pre-Opening	$60/hour	When incurred
Additional On-Site Assistance Post-Opening	$600/day	When incurred

Item 6 defines Adjusted Gross Sales Revenues as gross sales revenues less taxes, promotional discounts and delivery fees. It states: “We will not increase the Brand Fee to more than 2% of Adjusted Gross Sales Revenues.”

The notes matter: the POS cost depends on configuration, with applicable credit-card and installation/support fees additional. The digital-menu fee is $15 per screen per month, only if digital menu boards are used. Additional post-opening assistance also carries reasonable travel, room and board expenses. This table is not an exhaustive list of contingent charges: Item 6 also covers credit-card processing, audit costs, interest and breach-related costs. The FDD Item 6 explainer explains how to read the full fee schedule.

Term and renewal

Item 17 lists an initial term of 10 years and renewal for 10 years on payment of the $3,000 renewal fee under the then-current franchise agreement. Renewal also requires compliance, advance written notice, remodeling and other conditions listed there. It is not an automatic extension on the original contract terms.

Item 20: franchised openings and closures

Item 20, Table 3, reports these nationwide totals. “Closures” below means the table’s “Ceased Operations Other Reasons” column. Terminations, non-renewals and franchisor reacquisitions are each zero in all three years.

Year	Franchised outlets at start	Opened	Closures	Franchised outlets at end
2023	133	22	9	146
2024	146	22	3	165
2025	165	14	3	176

These are outlet counts, not a forecast of sales or returns. Use the FDD Item 20 explainer to distinguish openings, closures and ownership transfers when preparing franchisee validation calls.

SBA Franchise Directory: The Human Bean appears in the SBA’s Franchise Directory file effective October 9, 2026 (SBA Franchise Identifier Code S1763; franchisor certification marked received). A listing is what a lender checks for brand eligibility; it is not an endorsement, and your own eligibility as a borrower is assessed separately. See how to check the SBA Franchise Directory. The file notes a lease addendum condition when real estate secures the loan.

Questions to ask Human Bean owners

• How do required-supplier prices compare with alternatives for equivalent products?
• What share of actual store sales goes to supplies, the Brand Fee and technology costs?
• Which Item 7 categories differed most from the final opening bills?
• What explains a closure or transfer, and what would that owner do differently?

Dutch Bros’ support page says it no longer offers the option to franchise; the Human Bean versus Dutch Bros comparison covers that distinction.

For other formats and fee structures, compare the drive-thru coffee franchise guide, Aroma Joe’s franchise cost, PJ’s Coffee franchise cost and Ziggi’s Coffee franchise cost.