Ellis Island Tea People's Choice Candidate

Business: Food Production

Location: Detroit

Established: 2008

Contact: click here


Ellis Island Tea is a beverage company that brews an all-natural and unique blend of hibiscus tea, containing botanicals and natural extracts. They also serve as a co-packaging facility for other local small beverage companies.

What’s their idea?
Hire a small team of brand ambassadors to host tastings – distributing product samples to potential customers – at each of the stores that the tea is sold, promote the product on social media, and advertise in trade publications. This will allow Ellis Island Tea to boost sales locally while focusing on expanding business regionally and nationally.

How would this investment benefit the business, their neighborhood, and the city?
When Ellis Island Tea began, finding a local commercial kitchen that supported small-batch brewing was almost impossible. With a new 4,000 square foot, state-of-the-art production facility, they are poised to help other small beverage companies by offering affordable local production. Ellis Island Tea is providing opportunities and jobs in the community, hiring staff to keep up with demand as well as the co-packaging need. Strategic marketing to maximize sales in existing markets and expand to more stores across the country will keep Ellis Island Tea running and growing.