QuickBooksIntuit
ownload speed) to your Computer System at the site. You must also install a telephone system with a separate business line. We also currently recommend that you obtain and install QuickBooks Pro®, tho
From the filings
+4.301% units YoYHQ-led decisions
The Spice & Tea Exchange
Retail foodSoftware purchasing at The Spice & Tea Exchange is controlled at the franchisor level, with CEO Amy Parnell Freeman and President Penny L.A. Rehling listed as key executives in the 2026 FDD. The brand mandates a proprietary TSTE POS system and QuickBooks Pro by Intuit, alongside its corporate website. With 97 franchised locations and a single company-owned unit, the addressable market for a vendor is tightly concentrated under a single decision-making entity.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
98
97 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+4.301%
vs prior filing
AUV
$553K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
7%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$39K
per unit
Investment range
$313K–$558K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
8%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
22 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 9 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We have the right to independently access all information you collect, compile, store or generate at any time without first notifying you, and you must give us password access to your Computer System and POS system to enable us to obtain such data or you may be required to install special software on the system…
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesItem 11
This will be due in tandem with quarterly collection of financial statements.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Our owner TSTE® Holdings is the owner of TSTE® Distribution and TSTE® Development, both of which serve as designated or approved suppliers to our franchisees.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We currently have a franchise advisory council (“FAC”) consisting of franchisees that advises us on advertising policies, product development systems, operations and other matters.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We can revoke our approval of a supplier at any time upon immediate notice to you.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
90Item 8
Collectively, the purchases described above in this Item 8 (purchases from us, our affiliates, approved or designated suppliers, or in accordance with our System Standards) are about 90% to 100% of your overall purchases and leases in establishing and operating a Store.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use any item that does not comply with System Standards or is to be purchased from a supplier that has not yet been approved or seek an alternative supplier to be an approved supplier, you must first submit sufficient information, specifications and samples for our determination whether the item…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
As may be permitted by law and as necessary in our sole discretion, inspect and observe, photograph and videotape the operations of Stores, remove samples of any products, materials or supplies for testing and analysis, interview Store customers and personnel, and inspect and copy any books, records and documents…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
The Manual may be modified, updated, and revised periodically to reflect changes in System Standards.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
The franchise is granted for a specific location that first must be approved by us (the “Site”).
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
Your Store will be listed on the Official Website, but you cannot host or operate a separate website for your Store or offer or sell any Products or Services via e-commerce.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You are required to spend a minimum of $3,000 as a Grand Opening Advertising Requirement.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 6
Local Currently, you must Monthly We require you to spend an average of 1% Advertising expend 1% of your of Gross Sales per month on local Requirement Gross Sales. advertising in accordance with our standards and specifications.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a local advertising cooperative is established, you will be required to contribute to it an amount determined by that local advertising cooperative up to 2% of your Gross Sales per Calendar Year.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You are currently required to purchase from our affiliate TSTE® Distribution, all of the Products and Services, supplies, and inventory (including supplemental inventory) you will use in the operation of your Store.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
The majority of equipment, inventory, supplies and services you purchase for your Store must be purchased from suppliers we designate or approve and in accordance with our System Standards.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
to the extent we designate, you are obligated to purchase or lease fixtures, equipment and supplies, furnishings, installation products, credit card processing services, point-of sale software, an inventory management platform, as well as inventory, supplies and other goods, services or equipment used to operate your…
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You will give us authorization, in a form that we designate or approve, to initiate debit entries or credit correction entries to the Store’s bank operating account (the “Operating Account”) for payments of any fees due us and other amounts due under the Franchise Agreement, including any applicable interest charges.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are also required to install and use our designated POS system and a label printer, both of which are included in the Establishment Package and which you must use in accordance with our System Standards.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have the right to independently access all information you collect, compile, store or generate at any time without first notifying you,
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must buy and install, if you do not already have, the computer hardware, software, printers, and communications equipment and services we designate or approve (collectively the “Computer System”).
Training
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 6
In the event we schedule a conference, we may require you to attend for up to five (5) days each year.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at The Spice & Tea Exchange
The Spice & Tea Exchange operates 98 total units, 97 of which are franchised, with a single company-owned location. The brand posted a 4.3% year-over-year unit growth rate and an average unit volume of $552,660. For a software vendor, the addressable base is essentially those 97 franchised locations, all controlled by a single franchisor HQ in Florida. There are no multi-unit operators on file—every one of the 107 mapped operators runs a single unit. This means no large franchisee buying groups to navigate; the sales motion runs entirely through the corporate office.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD lists Amy Parnell Freeman as CEO and Penny L.A. Rehling as President. Tatum Crews serves as Vice President of Sales. No CIO, CTO, or VP of Technology is named, which is common for a brand of this size. In practice, the CEO and President are the likely approvers for any system that touches franchise operations, with the VP of Sales potentially owning tools that affect revenue or in-store experience. When you pitch, you are pitching a tight executive team, not a sprawling IT department.
Mandated and current tech stack
Item 11 of the FDD mandates three systems: the TSTE POS (a proprietary point-of-sale system), QuickBooks Pro by Intuit, and The Spice & Tea Exchange internet website. No other operational, inventory, HR, or marketing platforms are disclosed as mandated. The presence of a proprietary POS suggests the brand has already invested in custom development, so any replacement or integration pitch must acknowledge that sunk cost. QuickBooks Pro indicates the accounting environment is small-business-grade, which may create an opening for vendors offering franchise-specific financial or reporting layers that sit on top of Intuit’s ecosystem.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract, so the procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not publicly known. Similarly, the initial franchise term length is not disclosed, and no Item 17 renewal extract is provided. Without term and renewal data, you cannot model contract windows from the public filing alone. Vendors should plan on a direct discovery call to understand how and when the brand evaluates new software. Given the single-unit operator base, any tool that requires franchisee adoption will need a strong HQ mandate and likely a streamlined onboarding process.
How to read the The Spice & Tea Exchange FDD
The 2026 FDD is embedded below for full review. Start with Item 1 to confirm the executive team listed above. Item 11 contains the full table of mandated technology investments. Because Item 8 and Item 17 are silent in the extract, you will need to supplement the FDD with direct questioning during your initial outreach. The unit count and operator footprint in Item 20 confirm the single-unit, HQ-controlled structure that defines the sales path here. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
The Spice & Tea Exchange, answered from the filing
The FDD lists CEO Amy Parnell Freeman and President Penny L.A. Rehling as principal officers. Vice President of Sales Tatum Crews may also influence operational tools. No dedicated CIO or CTO is disclosed.
The brand mandates a proprietary point-of-sale system called TSTE POS, QuickBooks Pro by Intuit for accounting, and the corporate internet website. No other mandated systems are disclosed in the 2026 FDD.
There are 98 total units: 97 franchised and 1 company-owned. All 107 mapped operators are single-unit franchisees, with the largest concentrations in Florida (20), North Carolina (7), and Michigan (6).
The 2026 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier versus open-supplier model is not publicly disclosed. Vendors should clarify directly with HQ during discovery.
The initial franchise term length is not disclosed in the FDD, and no Item 17 renewal extract is provided. Without term or renewal data, contract-cycle timing cannot be estimated from public filings.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below for the full document. Always review Item 11 for tech mandates and Item 1 for executive contacts.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment The Spice & Tea Exchange files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
107 operators run 107 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit107
Top states by locations
| FL | 20 |
|---|---|
| NC | 7 |
| MI | 6 |
| SC | 6 |
| TX | 5 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind The Spice & Tea Exchange
unknown of the spice tea exchange holdings.
Related Retail food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.