CHICAGO, December 4, 2025 — An investor with a record of buying and accelerating the growth of family-run businesses has acquired a majority interest in Royal Cup Coffee & Tea, a 130-year-old supplier of coffees and teas based in Birmingham, Ala.
The controlling interest was acquired by Dallas-based Braemont Capital, a private-equity firm with a diverse portfolio. Its holdings include TecServices, a company that provides janitorial and sanitation services to food distributors and grocers.
The stake was acquired from the Smith family, several members of whom will remain minority shareholders. The clan has run the company for much of its history.
The purchase price and scale of Braemont’s holding were not disclosed.
Current management will remain in place, says Chip Wann, CEO of Royal Cup. He joined Royal Cup in 2017 and several years later became the first person from outside the Smith family to lead the company.
Current customers will see no change in their interactions with the company, said Wann, adding that a personal connection with patrons has been a part of Royal Cup’s long heritage.
”They know you by name, you know them by name,” he says. Wann notes that the company began in 1896 as a single horse-drawn cart selling coffee on the streets of Birmingham.
But inside veterans may notice an upshift: “The axel will turn a little bit more quickly,” says Wann. “This gives us a nimbleness, the agility to move quickly.”
Braemont also brings the financial power and know-how to keep Royal Cup’s technology current.
“We’ve been working toward this a good bit,” adds Ashley Peeples, SVP of Sales & Marketing for Royal Cup. “This revs up the engine to do a lot of things we’ve always wanted to do, but now we can do them a lot quicker.”
That will likely mean deepening Royal Cup’s penetration of market channels where it’s already a force, such as within certain onsite segments, while strengthening the roaster and distributor’s presence in high-potential sectors, like convenience stores.
Wann has particular expectations for Royal Cup’s coffee-service business. The company maintains the in-office employee refreshment centers of various business concerns, re-upping their supplies and maintaining the equipment on a route-by-route basis.
“I think you’ll see a deeper route presence across the United States, including more service techs to take care of the equipment,” says Wann.
He sees his role as preserving the small-company feel and culture of Royal Cup as it continues to grow. The company’s motto: “National Scale, Local Touch, Gold Standard.”