Acai Express franchise
2023 filing · April 29, 2023GrowingShares sales figures
Acai Express at a glance
A fast-casual acai shop serving acai and pitaya bowls, smoothies and breakfast, lunch and snack menus; also offered as a food truck or trailer. At the end of 2022 there were 46 Acai Express locations in the US, 38 franchised and 8 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Acai Express Franchising Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2014
- 9 years of selling franchises
- Typical size
- 650–1,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $158K–$429K
- A shop
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2% to the brand development fund
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 46
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 38
- Company-owned
- 8
- Change in 3 years
- +24
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
- States
- 4
- Most in Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Florida
Support and records
From Acai Express Franchising Inc’s 2023 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 73; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Acai Express among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Acai Express | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $293,700 | Costs less than 57% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 46 | More than 63% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $515,975 | Lower than 71% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.8× | Higher than 56% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Acai Express franchise costs
Opening a shop costs an estimated $158,400 to $429,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($50,000 to $200,000) and equipment, furniture and fixtures ($42,000 to $80,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Architect/Blueprints | $2,000 | $8,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $50,000 | $200,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvement for Drive-thru | $0 | $25,000 | |
| Lease Payments – 3 Months | $3,000 | $15,000 | |
| Security Deposits | $3,400 | $6,000 | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $42,000 | $80,000 | |
| Signage | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $3,500 | $10,000 | |
| Point of Sale System | $2,000 | $6,000 | |
| Office Supplies & Computer System | $2,500 | ||
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training | $4,000 | $7,000 | |
| Insurance – 3 Months | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $5,000 | ||
| Licenses and Permits | $1,000 | $1,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Total | $158,400 | $429,000 | |
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, page 20
Acai Express franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2% to the brand development fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Technology Fee | $200 per month |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from page 16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Acai Express publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $515,975
- Median sales
- $492,476
Yearly figures for 2022, covering franchised shops and food trailers open all of 2022 (28 locations). The average and median are worked out from each location's sales as listed in the filing. The average is about 1.8 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, pages 60–61
SBA loans to Acai Express franchisees
Lenders approved 6 SBA 7(a) loans for Acai Express franchisees from 2021 to 2026, $1.19M in all. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 5 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2022 / 2020–2022. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Acai Express | Typical smoothie brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +36% / +171% | +13% / +74% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 3.4% / 14% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical smoothie brand is the median of the 24 brands in smoothie franchises with three years of counts.
How Acai Express compares
Of the 60 smoothie franchises on this site, Acai Express is the 9th cheapest to open and the 22nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Acai Express | Typical smoothie brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $158K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $429K | $519K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $516K | $586K | $794K |
| US locations | 46 | 20 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 45 of 60 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 60 brands in smoothie franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 22 (+8) | 6 | +8 | 0 |
| 2021 | 28 (+6) | 6 | +6 | 0 |
| 2022 | 38 (+10) | 8 | +10 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: smoothie and juice franchise costs, acai bowl franchises and franchise failure rates.
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, page 63
Where Acai Express locations are
At the end of 2022, Acai Express had locations in 5 states and territories. The most are in Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Florida.
- Puerto Rico41
- South Carolina2
- Florida1
- New Jersey1
- North Carolina1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 33 | 8 | 41 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Florida | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, page 64
Who owns Acai Express?
Acai Express franchises are sold by Acai Express Franchising Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Acai Express Franchising Inc’s 2023 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Acai Express Franchising Inc, 2023 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Acai Express filings
The figures on this page come from Acai Express Franchising Inc’s 2023 filing, issued April 29, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | April 29, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other smoothie franchises
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Acai Express is also on these lists: mobile franchises, restaurant franchises, food franchises.