Aqua Chill Drinking Water SystemsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems franchise requires a total initial investment of $113K – $172K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $113K – $172K
- 3rd pct Food Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1st pct Food Retail
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 0th pct Food Retail
- Units
- 19
- 1st pct Food Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Food Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Food Retail 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
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $113K – $172K including a $60K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 72/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Aqua Chill Development, LLC
- CEO title
- President
- Mark Jepson
- CEO experience
- 29 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- NV
- HQ
- 3626 N. Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130
- Auditor
- Velez & Hardy, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
Aqua Chill franchisees sell and distribute drinking water systems (likely water coolers or point-of-use dispensers) to residential and commercial customers. Day-to-day operations typically involve customer acquisition, system installation, maintenance/servicing, water delivery logistics, and customer retention. Franchisees likely operate as independent distributors within their assigned area.
- CEO
- Mark Jepson
- Headquarters
- NV
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 0
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Technologynot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixturesnot refundable | $10K | $12K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Start Up Inventorynot refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Vehiclenot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Staffingnot refundable | $0 | $6K | |
| Apparelnot refundable | $100 | $300 | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training Programnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Business Licenses, Permits and Professional Feesnot refundable | $500 | $2K | |
| Operating Expenses and Additional Fundsnot refundable | $25K | $60K | |
| Total initial investment | $113K | $172K |
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
- $113K – $172K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $60K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Food Retail averages
How Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 19
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 10
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 47%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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.
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
This is a high-risk investment: a micro-system (19 units) with going concern questions, no financial disclosure, zero territory protection, and opaque revenue data that makes ROI validation impossible.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Velez & Hardy, 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 72 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates potential financial viability concerns at corporate level
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — cannot validate $113k-$171k investment ROI claims
- 03MINOROnly 19 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — suggests stagnant or declining franchise
- 04MINORZero territory protection — franchisees compete directly with each other and company-owned locations
- 05MED7% royalty on undisclosed revenue creates blind spot for true cost burden on net profitability
- 06MINOR20-year term locks franchisees into long commitment with unproven business model transparency
- 07MINORHigh initial investment ($60k franchise fee alone) relative to tiny system size indicates poor scale economics
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 | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 20 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 20 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Nevada |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 23 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 120 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
7 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems franchise?
The total investment to open a Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems franchise ranges from $113K – $172K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems franchise owners earn?
Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems 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 Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems (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 Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems has 19 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 10 company-owned units.
Is Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Aqua Chill Drinking Water Systems as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 72 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.