Candy Cloud franchise
2025 filing · December 23, 2025GrowingShares sales figures
Candy Cloud at a glance
A candy and drink shop selling sweets, specialty drinks, ice cream and boba. At the end of 2025 there were 13 Candy Cloud locations in the US, 12 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2022
- 3 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Machesney Park, Illinois
- Typical size
- 1,400–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $389K–$749K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of weekly gross revenue
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of weekly gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 4%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 13
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 12
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- +12
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 6
- Most in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio
Support and records
From CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC’s 2025 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 132; 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
Candy Cloud among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Candy Cloud | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $569,225 | Costs more than 69% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 13 | Fewer than 57% of franchises |
How much a Candy Cloud franchise costs
Opening one Candy Cloud costs an estimated $389,100 to $749,350. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($150,000 to $350,000) and equipment ($100,000 to $150,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $150,000 | $350,000 | |
| Lease Deposits | $4,000 | $20,000 | |
| Rent (3 months) | $8,000 | $30,000 | |
| Utilities (3 months) | $2,100 | $2,700 | |
| Utility Deposit | $0 | $900 | |
| Architect & Engineer Fees | $7,000 | $30,000 | |
| Design Service | $2,500 | $3,000 | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $3,000 | $15,000 | |
| Equipment | $100,000 | $150,000 | |
| Computer Equipment | $10,000 | $13,000 | |
| Software – 3 months | $1,800 | ||
| Internal System Fee - 3 months | $600 | ||
| Misc. Equipment & Supplies | $3,500 | $4,000 | |
| Accounting Service – 3 months | $1,000 | $1,500 | |
| Signage | $8,000 | $20,000 | |
| Smallware | $4,000 | $6,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $2,850 | |
| Your Training Expenses (transportation, lodging, and meals) | $5,000 | $7,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Campaign | $8,000 | ||
| Professional Fees | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Business Permits and Licenses | $500 | $2,000 | |
| Additional Funds-3 months | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Total | $389,100 | $749,350 | |
Source: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Candy Cloud franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of weekly gross revenue. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of weekly gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 4%. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, page 9
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Candy Cloud publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, page 39
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $290K–$520K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Candy Cloud franchisees
Lenders approved 12 SBA-backed loans for Candy Cloud franchisees from 2023 to 2026, $4.31M in all: 11 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. None has been paid off or charged off 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
How Candy Cloud compares
Of the 56 bubble tea franchises on this site, Candy Cloud is the 49th cheapest to open and the 16th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Candy Cloud | Typical bubble tea brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $389K | $264K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $749K | $502K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| US locations | 13 | 8 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 19 of 56 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 56 brands in bubble tea franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 (+5) | 1 | +5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 (+7) | 1 | +7 | 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.
Candy Cloud passes four of the five tests on our list of the best franchises to own; it had fewer than 100 US locations three years ago.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, page 41
Where Candy Cloud locations are
At the end of 2025, Candy Cloud had locations in 6 states. The most are in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio.
- Illinois5
- Wisconsin3
- Ohio2
- Florida1
- Tennessee1
- Texas1
Source: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, page 41
Who owns Candy Cloud?
Candy Cloud franchises are sold by CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC.
From CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC’s 2025 filing.
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: CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Candy Cloud filings
The figures on this page come from CANDY CLOUD FRANCHISING LLC’s 2025 filing, issued December 23, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | December 23, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other bubble tea franchises
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Candy Cloud is also on these lists: ice cream franchises, retail franchises, food franchises.