The Human Bean franchise: what it costs
It costs between $672,000 and $1,532,000 to open The Human Bean franchise as an espresso stand with a drive-through, its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) says. That FDD is the set of papers a brand must give you before buying.
The Human Bean franchise cost, item by item
- The full cost of opening
- From $672,000 up to $1,532,000 Item 7, 2026 FDD
- Franchise fee you pay one time at the start
- $35,000 Item 5, 2026 FDD
- Royalty, your ongoing payments to the brand
- There is none; the franchisor makes money from the coffee and supplies you buy from it Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Marketing fund, which covers shared advertising
- 1% of your adjusted gross sales Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Figures on sales or earnings
- $813,587 a year on average across 155 locations it counts, before costs Item 19, 2026 FDD
- Location count at the end of 2025
- Franchise owners ran 176; the company ran 12 Item 20, 2026 FDD
Each figure above comes from the 2026 The Human Bean Franchise Disclosure Document, which Casey Hawkins, Inc. filed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce; it is dated February 25, 2026 and was amended April 16, 2026. Each small label points to the numbered part of the FDD where that figure sits.
Earnings and sales figures in the The Human Bean FDD
In Item 19, The Human Bean shares figures. That section of the FDD is where a brand may tell you the sales or earnings of its locations. Average yearly sales of $813,587, across 155 franchised drive-through stands in 2025, stand out as the key figure. It is money the store takes in, not profit, because rent, wages and every other cost get paid from it.
Before you rely on any number in it, see the guide on reading an Item 19.
The Human Bean beside other coffee franchises
Most of the coffee franchises on this site cost less to open than The Human Bean; the middle one starts at $672K.
| Brand | Total cost to opentotal, lowest to highest | Upfront feeone-time fee | Royaltyongoing, usually a % of sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunn Brothers Coffee | $449K to $728K | $30,000 | 5% |
| PJ's Coffee | $523K to $899K | $15,000 to $40,000 | 5% |
| Dunkin' | $532K to $1.83M | $40,000 to $90,000 | 5.9% |
| Ziggi's Coffee | $587K to $1.76M | $40,000 | 6% |
| The Human Bean | $672K to $1.53M | $35,000 | None |
| Caribou Coffee | $898K to $1.51M | $30,000 | 5% |
| 7 Brew | $941K to $2.28M | $35,000 | 4.5% to 7% |
| Tim Hortons | $988K to $3.31M | $50,000 | 4.5% to 6% |
| Scooter's Coffee | $1.16M to $1.35M | $40,000 | 6% |
Before you buy, a brand has to hand over its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD); the brand's latest one is where every figure comes from. After you open, the royalty is what you keep paying the brand, either a share of sales or a set amount. A K stands for thousand, an M for million. Each of the 9 brands includes sales or earnings figures in its FDD; pick a brand to view them. Each FDD here was filed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce in 2026.
All coffee franchises, side by side
The number of The Human Bean locations
At the end of 2025, The Human Bean had 188 locations in the United States, with franchise owners running 94% of them (Item 20). In that same part of the FDD, you get phone numbers for owners still running stores and ones who left. Your best way to learn how these costs play out in real life is to call a few of them.
Get the The Human Bean FDD read by a franchise attorney
Before you sign, one franchise attorney can go through the The Human Bean FDD and franchise agreement with you.