Nailah Ellis-Brown: From Her Car Trunk to the Largest Black Woman-Owned Beverage Company in the Country

Key Takeaways

• 01Nailah Ellis-Brown founded Ellis Island Tea in 2008 using a hibiscus tea recipe from her Jamaican great-grandfather.
• 02Named the largest Black woman-owned beverage company in the country, per The Grio.
• 03Distribution spans Whole Foods, Meijer, Sam's Club, and retailers across 12 Midwestern states via Lipari Foods.
• 04Named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 in manufacturing and won $300,000 at Detroit Demo Day 2019.
• 05Built a state-of-the-art bottling facility in Detroit, employing local workers as a core company value.

A Family Recipe Becomes a National Brand

At every family gathering, her great-grandfather's hibiscus brew — infused with rosehips, honey, and mint — was the centerpiece of the table. When Ellis-Brown reached college at Howard University, she already knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She dropped out and began selling her tea recipe, starting from the back of her car.

The name 'Ellis Island Tea' honors both her family's last name and the entry point through which her great-grandfather arrived in America. What started with small batches sold from a car trunk quickly became a much bigger business, driven by returning customers and the quality of real brewed tea rather than tea-flavored syrup.

“What started with small batches and selling bottles from the back of a car quickly became a much bigger business.”

Scaling Distribution and the Shelf-Space Battle

Ellis-Brown's first major retail breakthrough came when Whole Foods began carrying Ellis Island Tea, eventually expanding to 20 Whole Foods locations. A distribution deal with Lipari Foods opened doors across 12 Midwestern states, and the company later secured placement in all Sam's Club locations nationwide and Meijer stores across the Midwest.

She has spoken openly about the challenges of competing for shelf space against beverage giants like Pepsi and Coke, who pay for prime eye-level placement. Her strategy focused on product quality and local community hiring as differentiators that big beverage corporations couldn't replicate.

Building a Detroit Bottling Facility

Rather than outsourcing production, Ellis-Brown opened a state-of-the-art bottling facility in Detroit on Clay Street, across from the Russell Industrial Center. The facility allowed her to control quality, scale production, and hire locally — a priority she has emphasized throughout the company's growth.

Winning $300,000 in equity investment at the 2019 Detroit Demo Day competition, sponsored by Quicken Loans, accelerated the company's expansion and validated her model on a citywide stage.

Marketing Lessons From a Beverage Founder

Ellis-Brown's story illustrates how an authentic family narrative — a great-grandfather, a migration story, and a real recipe — can become a brand's most durable marketing asset. Her focus on hiring local Detroit workers and using real ingredients created a brand identity that resonated with both retailers and consumers.

For CPG brands looking to build that kind of authentic narrative and distribution-ready digital presence, House of Karma offers brand strategy and marketing systems, while Studio Escrow supports the CRM and automation infrastructure needed to manage wholesale and direct-to-consumer pipelines.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nailah Ellis-Brown

**Who is Nailah Ellis-Brown?** Nailah Ellis-Brown is the Detroit-based founder and CEO of Ellis Island Tea, the largest Black woman-owned beverage company in the country.

**Where is Ellis Island Tea sold?** It is distributed in Whole Foods, Meijer, Sam's Club, and retailers across multiple Midwestern states and nationwide.

**What is Ellis Island Tea made from?** It is a naturally sweetened hibiscus tea inspired by sorrel, a traditional Jamaican drink, using a family recipe from her great-grandfather.

**When did Nailah Ellis-Brown start her company?** She founded Ellis Island Tea in 2008, initially selling bottles from the trunk of her car.

The Bottom Line

Nailah Ellis-Brown turned a family recipe and a car trunk into a national beverage brand. Find Ellis Island Tea at ellisislandtea.com or follow her journey on Instagram.