Hoop Tea
Hoop Tea is a privately held flavored malt beverage company founded in 2014 in Ocean City, Maryland, producing ready-to-drink spiked iced teas (5% ABV) in multiple flavors and pack sizes for US legal-age adult consumers through retail distribution and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersOcean City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hoop Tea does
Hoop Tea is a privately held flavored malt beverage company founded in 2014 by co-founders Danny Robinson and Billy in Ocean City, Maryland. The company produces ready-to-drink spiked iced teas at 5% ABV (4% ABV for the Light variant), brewed using tea bases — decaf black tea for the Original, black tea with stevia for Peach, white tea for Mango, and green tea for Watermelon. Products are packaged in 6-pack, 12-pack, Boardwalk Variety 12-pack, and 3L pouch configurations, with the Light line offering 90 calories and 2g sugar per serving. Operations are anchored in Ocean City, Maryland (founding site) with a registered corporate presence in Baldwinsville, NY, and the company maintains a 1–10 employee footprint.
The business operates a consumer packaged goods go-to-market centered on retail distribution across the United States through a third-party store-locator network, supplemented by a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront selling branded merchandise including hats, T-shirts, crewnecks, jackets, and socks at price points from $16 to $60. Marketing is concentrated on organic social channels (Instagram and Facebook) and brand-narrative website content emphasizing the founders' beach/boardwalk heritage, with no disclosed institutional investor or external equity backing beyond a single $70,000 funding round recorded in February 2020. The Hoop Tea® trademark is registered, and product differentiation rests on the Original recipe developed over two years of iteration alongside the lifestyle brand positioning.
The core technology is conventional malt beverage brewing; there is no software platform, app, AI/ML component, or proprietary digital infrastructure disclosed. Customer segments are persona-based — legal-age adult consumers (21+) seeking refreshing alcoholic beverages tied to a beach/boardwalk lifestyle — with no enterprise customers, named accounts, or B2B contracts. Revenue derives from two streams: retail beverage sales across multiple pack configurations and direct merchandise sales, with unit pricing set at retail rather than through disclosed wholesale agreements.
Hoop Tea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hoop Tea
- Legal name
- Hoop Tea
- Website
- https://hooptea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hoop Tea is a privately held flavored malt beverage company founded in 2014 in Ocean City, Maryland, producing ready-to-drink spiked iced teas (5% ABV) in multiple flavors and pack sizes for US legal-age adult consumers through retail distribution and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hoop Tea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Flavored Malt Beverages
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Alcoholic Beverage Production (Canned Cocktails, Hard Seltzer) (AFAFAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea Manufacturing (AFAFADAI)
Keywords
Where Hoop Tea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ocean City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hoop Tea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Beverage Sales: Hoop Tea generates revenue through the sale of their spiked iced tea products in various pack sizes (6 Pack, 12 Pack, Boardwalk Variety 12 Pack, and 3L pouches) through retail distribution.
- Merchandise Sales: Direct e-commerce sales of branded merchandise including hats, t-shirts, crewnecks, jackets, and socks through their online merch store.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beverage products available in multiple pack configurations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Branded merchandise items |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Hoop Tea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hoop Tea is a handmade flavored malt beverage (spiked iced tea) brand that crafts and sells ready-to-drink canned alcoholic iced teas. The lineup includes Original (black tea), Peach, Mango (white tea), Watermelon (green tea), and Light variants at 4-5% ABV, sold in 6-packs, 12-packs, Boardwalk Variety 12-packs, and 3L pouches. The company also sells branded lifestyle merchandise.
Product overview
Hoop Tea is a spiked iced tea and flavored malt beverage company offering five distinct tea-based alcoholic drink flavors: Original (black tea), Peach (black tea with stevia), Mango (white tea), Watermelon (green tea), and Light (90 calories, 4% ABV). Products are sold in various pack configurations including 6 Packs, 12 Packs, Boardwalk Variety 12 Packs, and 3L pouches. The company also offers branded merchandise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Original Hoop Tea Classic-flavor spiked iced tea made with decaf black tea, 5% ABV. Available in 6 Pack, 12 Pack, Boardwalk Variety 12 Pack, and 3L pouches, targeting legal-age adult drinkers.
- Peach Hoop Tea Peach-flavored spiked iced tea made with black tea and stevia, 5% ABV. Available in 6 Pack, Boardwalk Variety 12 Pack, and 3L pouches.
Companies that use Hoop Tea
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hoop Tea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hoop Tea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hoop Tea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Truly Hard Seltzer: Hard seltzer brand from Boston Beer Company. Competes for the same light, refreshing, low-calorie adult beverage occasions that Hoop Tea targets with its Light SKU.
- Mike's Hard Lemonade: Flavored malt beverage brand owned by Mark Anthony Brands. Comparable to Hoop Tea as a flavored malt beverage with similar ABV range and canned format, though positioned around fruit/lemonade flavors rather than tea.
- Smirnoff Ice: Iconic flavored malt beverage from Diageo. Competes with Hoop Tea in the same FMB regulatory and product category, sharing retail channels and consumer demographics.
- Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer: Spiked seltzer brand owned by Anheuser-Busch. Competes with Hoop Tea in the canned RTD alcoholic beverage category, particularly in the lighter, lower-calorie segment that Hoop Tea's Light variant addresses.
- Seagram's Escapes: Flavored malt beverage portfolio from Pernod Ricard. Comparable to Hoop Tea as an FMB offering fruity, sweet, low-ABV canned beverages targeting the same 21+ casual occasion drinker.
- Topo Chico Hard Seltzer: Hard seltzer from Molson Coors built on the Topo Chico sparkling water brand. Competes for the same lifestyle-positioned canned alcoholic beverage occasions as Hoop Tea, particularly with consumers seeking an 'elevated' brand story.
- Twisted Tea: The category-leading hard iced tea brand owned by Boston Beer Company. Twisted Tea is the closest direct competitor to Hoop Tea, addressing the same consumer use case (refreshing, tea-based alcoholic beverage) with much deeper distribution and marketing spend.
- Henry's Hard Soda: Flavored malt beverage line from Anheuser-Busch. Sits in the same FMB regulatory category and targets the same casual, social adult drinking occasions as Hoop Tea.
- White Claw Hard Seltzer: Market-leading hard seltzer from Mark Anthony Brands. Competes for the same occasion and shelf space as Hoop Tea, and represents the dominant format trend pressuring traditional FMBs.
- Vizzy Hard Seltzer: Hard seltzer with antioxidant vitamin C from Molson Coors. Targets the same health-conscious, lifestyle-driven canned alcoholic beverage consumer as Hoop Tea.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hoop Tea social profiles
Digital presenceHoop Tea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hoop Tea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Hoop Tea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hoop Tea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hoop Tea
What does Hoop Tea do?
Hoop Tea is a handmade flavored malt beverage (spiked iced tea) brand that crafts and sells ready-to-drink canned alcoholic iced teas. The lineup includes Original (black tea), Peach, Mango (white tea), Watermelon (green tea), and Light variants at 4-5% ABV, sold in 6-packs, 12-packs, Boardwalk Variety 12-packs, and 3L pouches. The company also sells branded lifestyle merchandise.
Is Hoop Tea a public or private company?
Hoop Tea is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hoop Tea founded?
Hoop Tea was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hoop Tea based?
Hoop Tea is headquartered in Ocean City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hoop Tea make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales.
Who are Hoop Tea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Truly Hard Seltzer, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice, Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer, Seagram's Escapes, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Twisted Tea, Henry's Hard Soda, White Claw Hard Seltzer and Vizzy Hard Seltzer.
Does Hoop Tea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hoop Tea.
What industry is Hoop Tea in?
Hoop Tea's product category is Flavored Malt Beverages. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFAAAE, Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Alcoholic Beverage Production (Canned Cocktails, Hard Seltzer), with a secondary code of AFAFADAI, Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2082.