![With the aid of a $390,000 loan package, HTeaO is being constructed at E. 30th Ave. in Hutchinson, Kansas. [Photo: Judd Weil]](https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681338898942.jpeg)
StartUp Hutch
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County residents will soon have another option for a cool drink on a hot day later this summer. Thomas Tea Company LLC is bringing Texas-based iced tea franchise HTeaO to Hutchinson.
The project came together with the help of a $390,000 loan package.
“It is fortunate that we have great partners like NetWork Kansas,” Jackson Swearer, Entrepreneur Navigator and Director at StartUp Hutch, said. “They worked with us to layer together the necessary gap financing to get this new venture off the ground. Just like customers will be able to layer together flavors of iced tea at HTeaO.”
Thomas Tea Company, co-owned by Darren Thomas, Jacqueline Thomas, and Jacob Thomas, utilized several StartUp Hutch loan programs to acquire the necessary capital, to bring HTeaO to Hutchinson, including E-Community, StartUp Kansas, and new GROWKS funds.
These funds are all made available to Reno County businesses and startups through a partnership with NetWork Kansas, the statewide network for entrepreneurship communities.
![Thomas Tea Company LLC owners Jaqueline Thomas (left), Darren Thomas (right), and Jacob Thomas (not shown) with the help of StartUp Hutch is bringing HTeaO to Hutchinson. [Photo: StartUp Hutch] ](https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681335271479.jpeg)
Construction has begun on the new HTeaO building at 1619 E. 30th Ave. with plans to open in late summer 2023.
Darren Thomas said he and his wife Jacqueline Thomas, “are excited to serve Hutchinson by providing a place everyone can come and refresh.”
For more information on StartUp Hutch funding opportunities, resources, or events, visit www.startuphutch.com or contact Jackson Swearer at (620) 665-3319.