Nailah Ellis-Brown, owner of Ellis Island Tea
Thirty-year-old Nailah Ellis-Brown began her entrepreneurial journey selling her family secret recipe of teas out of a cooler around Detroit. She kept on the grind, despite some hiccups, and now 10 years later Nailah’s maintaining strong with her teas now available at Whole Foods, Meijer’s, Sam’s Clubs’, and more. Another story of how perseverance wins the game.
Nailah founded Ellis Infinity Beverage Company in 2008 and is as passionate about her company just as much as she was in the beginning. She’s got to be about her business because she’s representing her family heritage. Her recipe comes from her great grandfather Cyril Byron. It’s an all-natural, antioxidant-rich hibiscus tea and its made in Nailah’s state of the art facility in her hometown of Detroit.
Read more about Nailah Ellis-Brown in Episode 8 of People You Should Know.
1. You were 20 years old when you started selling Ellis Island Tea out of your car. How did you build up a following?
Word of mouth was all I had. I kept going back to the same areas of Detroit with my cooler. Pretty soon people started to remember me and look for me to buy my tea. I have always said that once people try Ellis Island Tea, they love it. In more recent years, social media has added another layer to the conversation, allowing more people to share how much they love Ellis Island Tea. That has been critical to helping grow our brand. Our supporters are amazing!
2. What made you actually go ahead and file the paperwork to start your business?
I knew that I wanted to have a legitimate business, not a hobby or sideline. In order to do that, I had to create a company. It made entrepreneurship very real holding that LLC document.
3. You recently signed a deal with Sam’s Club to sell your teas at over 600 of their store locations. How did you acquire this deal and when will your teas start being sold there?
The deal with Sam’s Club came about through a conversation I had last year with Om Marwah on a trip to Israel for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit. Om is the Global Head of Behavioral Science and Director of Innovation at Walmart and Sam’s Club. He also is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree like me. We started talking about Ellis Island Tea – what it was, what my plans for the company were, and that I was working with MSNBC on a Your Business Makeover – and he became interested. Om arranged a meeting with Ed Romero and other Sam’s Club executives. During that meeting Ed Romero decided to give me a shot in Sam’s Club location in three states. We did really well in those markets and Ed decided to give me another chance to prove that Ellis Island Tea could compete with the big national brands. We rolled out in every Sam’s Club in the country right before Memorial Day. Ellis Island Tea rocked it! Now, we are waiting to see if we will stay in all the Sam’s Clubs in the country. Fingers crossed!
4. In March 2017, you were on MSNBC’s “Your Business Makeover” by OPEN Forum to help improve your packaging, distribution, and price. One of the main problems was that you still weren’t able to pay yourself. How has the makeover changed your business for the better?
The MSNBC Your Business Makeover was a game changer. The rebranding was pivotal to HMSHost agreeing to add us to multiple airports beyond the handful we were already in. They thought the new packaging would make a world of difference. Sam’s Club probably would not have happened – or at least not as rapidly – without the rebranding by Skidmore Studios of Detroit. They gave us labeling that ‘popped’ on the shelves and gave us the focus we needed to more easily tell our story and explain what our tea is – Jamaican Sweet Tea. That puts us in a beverage category all our own. Today, our beverage plant is running constantly to keep up with orders. We’ve hired more people so things are really looking up!
5. How does it feel to know that you are keeping your great-grandfather’s tea recipe alive and making sure it’s “to be sold, not told” like he used to say?
Family is everything. I am proud that despite the many obstacles in my path that I have persisted and kept the family legacy alive. Every day I pray for the strength and wisdom to make the right choices so Ellis Island Tea can continue to succeed. It is my family’s sole means of support now that my husband Rob Brown has joined the company. We’re in this together – for the long haul. I think my great-grandfather Cyril Byron did pretty much the same thing for his family. He took a risk and came to America, worked hard and valued what he created through his talent and his time. He passed those ethics down the family line to me. I intend to do the same with my children. (Aaliyah will have a sibling in July!)
6. You’ve been featured in the Michigan Chronicle, on Channel 7 WXYZ-TV Detroit, Centric TV station’s “Queen Boss” show, CNBC, BET, The Detroit News, “Live in the D” on Channel 4 Detroit, Crain’s Detroit Business, “The Meredith Vieira Show” TV show on NBC, Forbes 30 under 30 and more. How does it feel to be recognized for your success?
It feels really good to be taken seriously. When I started out selling from a cooler in my car, a lot of people thought I was crazy or belittled me. They didn’t believe I could make a success of a beverage company. Who was I? Today, that’s all changed. I’ve proven that I won’t stop until Ellis Island Tea is a successful national brand. The media attention doesn’t fuel my ego, it propels my brand forward. The stories that run about Ellis Island Tea and about me raise awareness nationally for my brand. I’ve never been able to afford to advertise on national TV or in major magazines and newspapers, but the coverage gives us the exposure we need.
7. What business practices do you follow now that you wish you would’ve known about when first starting Ellis Island Tea?
Early on, I ran myself ragged. Once my daughter Aaliyah was born, my priorities really shifted. My husband Rob always reminds me why I became an entrepreneur in the first place – so I could be in charge of my own life. I wanted freedom. I have learned that I must set aside time for myself and my family. If I let it, this business can consume all of my waking moments. There will always be problems, demands and employee needs. Without balance, I won’t have the energy to sustain my company. Just like batteries, people need to recharge. Family time, meals together, travel and exercise are all important to me. Sometimes I have to sacrifice time for those things, but as a general rule, I do not.
8. You own a state of the art production company to make your teas in your hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Why is it so important to build your legacy here?
Detroit is my home. It’s where I was born and raised. It can be a tough city to live in, but it makes those who live and work here stronger. I am resilient because I was tested, because no one handed me anything. That’s Detroit. I want to be a business owner who creates jobs for people like myself. Detroit needs that kind of investment. The people who stayed and worked hard during the toughest times the city faced, should benefit today. Ellis Island Tea was founded at the beginning of the Great Recession. Today, it is bigger than ever. Hopefully, the jobs I can create will change the lives of those who work for me.
9. What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs entering the food and beverage industry?
Do your research before you jump in. There are amazing organizations out there designed to help you. Take advantage of them. If it weren’t for the MSU Product Center, its staff and resources, Ellis Island Tea might not be where it is today. They helped me through a lot of the processes in the very beginning. They also opened up my first big commercial store opportunity when I won their Making it in Michigan Competition. In Detroit, there are multiple organizations available to provide help such as The Build Institute and FoodLab Detroit. There are also grants offered to help with scaling up, such as NEIdeas, Motor City Match, even Detroit Soup. I imagine every state has its own resources, you just have to look for them.
10. You started Ellis Island Tea in 2008. Where do you see the company in 10 more years?
It’s funny, but I am right where I hoped to be when I mapped out a plan four years ago. I had Ellis Island Tea in 14 stores back then, but I said I wanted to become a regional brand within two years and national within five years. I hit the regional target with distribution in Whole Foods, Meijer and Kroger. I’m on my way to being a solid national brand with the deals with Sam’s Club and HMSHost. What’s left is to increase brand awareness across the country and expand into more markets. I envision Ellis Island Tea as a lifestyle brand sold in airports, resorts, and spas in addition to convenience stores. It really is an innovative beverage that especially appeals to millennials who seek new flavors and experiences.
*Bonus* What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting your own company?
You cannot go it alone. This is my company. It is my responsibility to ensure its success, but I do not have all the answers and I do not have the only valid perspective. I have made it as far as I have by listening to the advice of amazing mentors and by effectively using the resources available to me. In the beginning, I did not know how much I did not know. When I started selling Ellis Island Tea, I sold it in bottles with a business cards taped to them. That’s all I knew to do. I knew nothing about nutritional facts, bar codes, regulations and licensing. I had a lot of help navigating those paths, which enabled me to sell Ellis Island Tea commercially. Always listen to good counsel, but ultimately the responsibility is yours so trust yourself.
