In this article, you’ll learn:
- What a commercial iced tea maker does
- How a commercial iced tea maker speeds up your operations and increases profits
- The range of other drinks you can make with a commercial iced tea maker
For hospitality and foodservice businesses, the drinks you should offer are always changing. The beverage industry is shifting at a staggering pace, driven in no small part by Gen Z and Millennials. They’re looking for alternatives to traditional coffee or carbonated soft drinks – and iced tea is an ideal choice.
Thanks to its perceived health benefits and flavour versatility, iced tea is fast becoming a key menu option for coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants. As such, a commercial iced tea maker can help you meet these demands, scale your operations, and diversify the drinks on offer. They are designed for high-yield, rapid extraction and operational consistency, helping businesses rethink their entire strategy.
To learn more about the benefits of a commercial iced tea maker, I spoke to Brandon Parrish. He is the owner of Kineo Coffee, a mobile espresso bar operating out of Sanford, Florida. Read on for his insight.
How does a commercial iced tea maker work?
Unlike manual methods, a commercial iced tea maker uses recirculation technology to steep tea leaves or other botanicals. It constantly agitates the tea leaves with the water inside the extraction basket, which significantly reduces the preparation time.
The Baby Hardtank, for example, is a commercial iced tea maker suitable for cafés and coffee shops. It can produce a batch of iced tea in as little as 15 minutes, without needing additional filters or any manual input during the process.
Compared to traditional methods, where staff need to stir the tea as it steeps, it’s much quicker and easier. In fact, traditional methods can take up to eight hours to prepare, and longer for black and oolong tea. With a commercial iced tea maker, it hugely increases the amount you can serve a day.
This increased efficiency is useful for all kinds of businesses, from busy coffee shops to mobile bars like Brandon’s. “It can be beneficial for serving larger groups when I have less time,” he tells me.
Advanced brewing systems support these demands by delivering drinks that are not only fresh and flavourful, but also packed with bioactive compounds. Some technologies can yield more caffeine and chlorogenic acids than conventional methods. These compounds, present in both tea and coffee, are associated with cognitive and cardiovascular benefits, making them marketable features for today’s wellness-driven customer.
For hospitality and foodservice businesses, a commercial iced tea maker unlocks a rapidly expanding market. Globally, the iced tea market is growing at a rate of 4.8% annually, in conjunction with increasing demand for natural and refreshing beverages.
In the U.S., iced tea now ranks as the third most consumed beverage after water and soda. It’s clearly not a temporary trend, but an overall shift in consumer preferences. Therefore, investing in equipment that quickly but efficiently prepares batches of iced tea is a huge revenue opportunity.
What are the benefits of a commercial iced tea maker?
The main financial benefit of a commercial iced tea maker is its ability to boost profit margins. Iced tea is one of the highest-margin non-alcoholic beverages. Tea leaves are relatively inexpensive to purchase in bulk, but consumers are willing to pay a premium for healthy and freshly prepared drinks, including iced tea.
Research suggests that younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are willing to spend more on beverages they perceive as “healthy.” Similarly, a growing number actively seek out drinks free from artificial ingredients. If you can offer them iced tea brewed with fresh ingredients that day, it’s a valuable opportunity to drive sales and increase profits.
What also makes commercial iced tea especially valuable is its versatility. From unsweetened classics to ginger-lemongrass infusions or tropical fruit blends, the options are vast. “I’m a fan of the art of handcrafting drinks,” Brandon tells me. Technology allows you to easily tweak your recipes and drinks.
With equipment like Hardtank’s, you don’t need to prepare new recipes or steeping profiles. Instead, you simply add the ingredients you want and set the machine to your desired steeping time. This flexibility allows you to switch from a morning citrus green tea to an afternoon hibiscus blend with minimal downtime or adjustment.
Operationally, a commercial iced tea maker also minimises waste and labour. Hardtank equipment is made from food-grade stainless steel, making it easy to wipe down and remain compliant with local food safety regulations.
It also has automated cleaning and sanitation programmes that reduce the risk of human error and can be programmed to run outside of your opening hours. That means you can prepare iced tea throughout the day without needing to worry about food safety or diminishing product quality. Equally, it frees up time for your staff to serve customers, rather than maintaining equipment or preparing iced tea by hand.
The ability to deliver high-margin drinks without raising operational costs is what makes a commercial iced tea maker so valuable.
How a commercial iced tea maker helps businesses expand
While iced tea alone is a fruitful revenue source for foodservice and hospitality businesses, your choice of commercial iced tea maker can diversify your menu even further. Hardtank equipment, for example, is capable of producing a range of other drinks. From cold brew coffee to non-alcoholic cocktails and herbal drinks, you can test new concepts and products without investing in separate equipment.
For instance, a bakery might launch a limited-time mango iced tea alongside a nitro cold brew in the summer. Then, they can pivot to spiced herbal teas and cinnamon cold brew in the autumn using the same equipment.
Similarly, low- and no-alcohol cocktails and botanical infusions are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, nearly half of all Americans plan to reduce their alcohol intake in 2025, meaning demand for these drinks is only going to rise. Having a single machine that can deliver both iced tea and other trend-aligned beverages is a reliable way to future-proof your menu.
Choosing a commercial iced tea maker also allows you to scale your production accordingly. If you launch a new product and see it rise in popularity, you can easily prepare more without taking up staff time – or space. “For my particular business, I need something that is compact and mobile,” Brandon says.
The Baby Hardtank, suitable for coffee shops and bars, can prepare 60 litres of iced tea or other drinks a day, while the Hardtank 20 can produce 250 litres. It means there’s no limit to how far you can scale your operations.
The practical benefits of a commercial iced tea maker are clear. It offers you consistent, repeatable quality, significantly shorter preparation times, and the flexibility to evolve your menu strategy in line with industry trends.
Whether you’re rethinking your drinks menu or launching a new location, integrating a commercial iced tea maker is a valuable strategic decision. With global iced tea consumption on the rise and new drinks entering the market, you should harness equipment that meets your ambition and quality standards.
Commercial iced tea makers: Key takeaways for foodservice businesses
- Commercial iced tea makers can brew iced tea in as little as 15 minutes, reducing preparation times compared to traditional methods
- Iced tea is a high-margin product, meaning you can increase your profits by preparing it more efficiently.
- Commercial iced tea makers can also prepare a range of other drinks, including cold brew coffee and herbal infusions.
- Specialised iced tea equipment also reduces labour cost, ensures compliance with food safety regulations, and minimises waste.
Ready to add a commercial iced tea maker to your operations? Check out our range of products or schedule a free meeting with our team.
Commercial iced tea maker FAQs: Function, benefits, and versatility
How does a commercial iced tea maker work?
A commercial iced tea maker uses recirculation technology to steep the tea leaves, extracting flavours more quickly than via traditional methods.
What are the benefits of a commercial iced tea maker?
You get access to much faster steeping times (as little as 15 minutes), as well as reduced labour, more consistent quality, and the ability to customise drinks and recipes.
Can I make other drinks with a commercial iced tea maker?
Yes! Many commercial iced tea makers, such as the Baby Hardtank, can also prepare cold brew coffee, herbal infusions, and non-alcoholic cocktails. You can put any combination of ingredients into the filter basket to test out new formulations and flavours.
Want to learn more about commercial iced tea machines?
- See your savings: With our ROI calculator.
- Diversify your menu: With our range of specialised recipes.
- Book an appointment with an equipment specialist: Schedule a free meeting.
