Franchise Facts Report → brands → Waters Edge Winery
Waters Edge Winery franchise — is it worth it?
Low risk No franchised units open yet Item 19 disclosed
Waters Edge Winery operates in the Food & Beverage category with a relatively low initial investment range of $25,000-$28,000.
Everything below is free, read straight off Waters Edge Winery's registered filing, with where the numbers land against food & beverage peers. Weighing Waters Edge Winery against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Waters Edge Winery's most recent FDD (registered 2025). Source: California Dept. of Financial Protection and Innovation — Franchise Registration · filing app-31228 — check it yourself. See every other California-registered franchise.
Considering Waters Edge Winery? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. Waters Edge Winery will be on it if it fits.
How much does a Waters Edge Winery franchise make?
Waters Edge Winery is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Waters Edge Winery franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Waters Edge Winery's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Waters Edge Winery franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Waters Edge Winery franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
Waters Edge Winery lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Waters Edge Winery's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025) does disclose legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Waters Edge Winery itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Waters Edge Winery closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Waters Edge Winery will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Waters Edge Winery's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Waters Edge Winery reports no franchised units open yet — there is no operating track record to churn.
Who owns Waters Edge Winery?
Waters Edge Winery's franchise is offered by Waters Edge Wineries, Inc. — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at CA DFPI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Waters Edge Winery is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Waters Edge Winery franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Waters Edge Winery — who is the franchisor?
Waters Edge Winery's most recently filed FDD (2025) names Waters Edge Wineries, Inc. as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Waters Edge Winery franchise cost?
Waters Edge Winery's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $25,000 – $28,000 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against food & beverage peers it sits in the top quartile (median $379,725).
How much profit does a Waters Edge Winery franchise make?
Waters Edge Winery discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for Waters Edge Winery), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Waters Edge Winery franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does Waters Edge Winery disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Waters Edge Winery reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.
Are there lawsuits against Waters Edge Winery?
Waters Edge Winery's most recently filed FDD (2025) discloses legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Waters Edge Winery itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is Waters Edge Winery a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Waters Edge Winery's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is low risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on Waters Edge Winery or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.