Partners bring HTeaO store to quench area residents’ thirst

Dalondo Moultrie The Seguin Gazette

With the help of a business partner from up the road, a Seguin resident plans to bring a new company to town and, along with it, familial nostalgia.

The business and Omar Alvidrez’s fond memories surround iced tea — a staple in Texas and his upbringing.

“I know everybody talks about comfort food, but to me, iced tea is a comfort drink,” Alvidrez said. “It takes me back to family gatherings and my younger days. Whenever we had iced tea, there was always family and love around.”

In the fall, Alvidrez and partner Sean Stringer plan to bring that feeling to Seguin with their franchised HTeaO store, the first in the county.

HTeaO serves more than 24 flavors of fresh brewed sweet and unsweet iced tea, a company statement read. Besides tea, HTeaO features a full line of YETI merchandise, snack options featuring Project7, Clif Bars, Clint & Sons beef jerky, and more.

Each store has a system that offers double-pass, reverse-osmosis water partnered with a “Tea Brewing Station,” making for a refreshing product.

“After spending the better part of the past decade creating systems and building a franchise infrastructure, we are excited to lock arms with the Alvidrez and Stringer families to bring the vision and the customer experience of an HTeaO store to the Seguin market,” HTeaO President and CEO Justin Howe said.

Alvidrez lives in Seguin and Stringer lives in Kyle. Separately, they were introduced to HTeaO and liked everything about the product and the corporate approach to serving customers, the duo said.

They both wanted in and partnered to make their goals a reality here, they said.

Alvidrez found HTeaO while commuting to Amarillo for work. He visited a store there and hurried home to tell his family about what he’d experienced.

The customer service was unmatched, and he left after each visit feeling like he’d gotten more than just a beverage out of the transaction, Alvidrez said.

Stringer’s introduction to the brand was at its corporate store in Midland. He was immediately was sold on the concept, he said.

“I checked out the store myself and really enjoyed not only the tea and product selection but the infectious, fun atmosphere and customer service,” Stringer said. “The staff was genuinely happy to see and serve you, which is refreshing — people treating each other like people and not just customers. My partners and my family both knew that an HTeaO would be the perfect fit for south Texas, so when the opportunity came to be part of the HTeaO company, we jumped on board and headed into the new HTeaO frontier.”

HTeaO is a lifestyle brand that offers a drive-thru or walk-in customer service experience like no other, Stringer said. People in this area are continually on the go, but they still want to slow down and take a breath. Which makes it the perfect place for HTeaO, he said.

The family-friendly atmosphere should hit the spot in Seguin, Stringer said.

“The experience is what’s going to be the prime factor. Getting into the store, the customer service and the overall atmosphere is pretty neat,” he said. “It’s a Hill Country feel. It’s like an activity, healthy lifestyle and a place you’ll want to go every day if you can make it.”

HTeaO can help quench a thirst driven by vast growth and expansion in the city, Seguin Economic Development Director Josh Schneuker said. A place like HTeaO is the type city leaders look forward to attracting while building out the economic base and offerings more for residents.

“The city of Seguin has been working hard to recruit new and diversified retail opportunities to our community, so we are very excited that Sean and Omar will be bringing HTeaO to Seguin,” Schneuker said. “With all the growth that we are experiencing, I am confident that Sean, Omar, and HTeaO will thrive in Seguin for years to come.”

Construction has yet to begin as the owner/operator duo is still in the permitting stage of opening the shop. They have chosen a location at 705 W. Court St. to build a standalone HTeaO store scheduled for a late summer or fall 2021 opening, the pair said.

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