Just for shits and giggles I did a little research. Not sure what brand you use so just doing a hypothetical thing here just for fun.

I found a box of liquid tea for soda fountain for $42.71. It is “Narvon 5 Gallon Bag in Box Unsweetened Iced Tea Syrup” (https://www.webstaurantstore.com/narvon-5-gallon-bag-in-box-unsweetened-iced-tea-syrup/515BIBTEAUNS.html)

The nutritional information says it contains 320-12oz servings of the finished product (1 part syrup to 5 parts water) Which equals out to 3,840 ounces of finished product.

I looked up commercial tea pouches (sorry for the Amazon link) and found a case of 24-3 gallon tea pouches for $32.79 (https://www.amazon.com/Lipton-Iced-Black-Unsweetened-gallon/dp/B01MTG7Q9A/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=commercial+tea+bags&qid=1618993168&sr=8-3) each case will make 72 gallons, or roughly 9,576 ounces of tea.

Liquid tea box at $42.71 is costing roughly $0.011 per ounce to make before accounting for cost of water, power for the fountain, and any lease or maintenance of fountain.

Brewed tea case is $32.79 is costing roughly $0.003 per ounce before other expenses.

Here is a BUNN 5 gallon dispenser for iced tea for $76.99 (https://www.webstaurantstore.com/bunn-34100-0001-tdo-5-5-gallon-iced-tea-dispenser-with-solid-plastic-lid/234341000001.html?utm_source=shopzilla&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=234341000001&utm_campaign=restaurant_equipment) probably fits under a tall coffee maker. But same website has a low profile 3.5 gallon dispenser for $63.49.

Hope this helps fren! Good luck to you and hope your business is doing better!