Açai RepublicFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Açai Republic franchise requires a total initial investment of $178K – $505K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $178K – $505K
- 25th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 29
- 53rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 20 to 7 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $178K – $505K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 39/100.
- System contracting at -65.0% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Açai Republic Franchise Development, LLC
- CEO title
- LLC Manager and Co-Founder
- Adriano Pereira
- CEO experience
- 5 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 632 El Camino Real, #C, Tustin, California, 92780
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $545K
- vs $363K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate quick-service açai bowl and smoothie shops, typically in high-traffic retail locations or food courts. Daily operations include inventory management, food preparation, POS transactions, staff scheduling, and local marketing to drive walk-in and delivery orders.
- CEO
- Adriano Pereira
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Training Travel and Living Expensesnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Lease and Utility Depositsnot refundable | $9K | $15K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $25K | $150K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, Kitchen Equipmentnot refundable | $20K | $100K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $11K | $25K | |
| Computer Systems and Technologynot refundable | $7K | $10K | |
| Plans, Permits, and Licensesnot refundable | $4K | $12K | |
| Office Equipment and Suppliesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $8K | $13K | |
| Grand Openingnot refundable | $5K | $8K | |
| Miscellaneousnot refundable | $14K | $30K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Monthsnot refundable | $38K | $100K | |
| Total initial investment | $178K | $505K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $178K – $505K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $38K – $100K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.5% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $25 |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Açai Republic Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 29
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 72%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +50.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -65.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Açai Republic presents extreme risk: a franchise system hemorrhaging 50% of units annually with no financial transparency, unknown profitability, and potential franchisor going concern issues.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem collapsed 50% YoY (29 units down from ~58) — severe contraction indicates fundamental business model failure
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure — cannot verify average unit economics, profitability, or break-even timeline
- 03HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE — franchisor may lack financial stability to support franchisees or honor obligations
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($178k-$505k) paired with unknown ROI creates extreme downside risk
- 05MED5% royalty on undisclosed revenues offers no transparency on typical franchisee earnings potential
- 06MEDRapid unit decline suggests widespread franchisee dissatisfaction, closure, or non-renewal
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory radius | 3.5 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Orange County, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 123 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
47 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Açai Republic · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Açai Republic franchise?
The total investment to open a Açai Republic franchise ranges from $178K – $505K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Açai Republic franchise owners earn?
Açai Republic does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Açai Republic's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Açai Republic (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Açai Republic franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Açai Republic has 29 total units in the United States, including 20 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Açai Republic a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Açai Republic as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 39 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.