Today we’d like to introduce you to Danii Oliver.
Danii, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I became interested in fermentation when I had nothing but “time” to patiently wait on things that took “time” to develop. I became fascinated by what happened to fresh natural pressed or steeped juices beyond the taboo phase of expiration. I observed so-called expired juice from apples turn into hard cider and sweet tea left out become kombucha! From then on, I’ve been hooked on the process of blending natural produce and turning it into beverages that could heal, boost and soothe souls.
I began setting up my brewery environment for wild open-air and controlled sealed fermentation in 2015. As my recipe development grew, my parents would watch me with concern at first. Over time they started to remember their grandmothers brewing at home. They shared stories about holiday bottle swaps and finding homemade booze in the kitchen. They described what the fermentation process looked like and how my ancestors brought it to market and sold it.
You see, I come from female brewers and moonshiners, this is my culture and heritage. They traveled from island to island running contraband. My great aunt Mildred even owned a rum shop. This knowledge inspired me to own my family legacy. I knew I had to bring what I was doing to market.
As I walk through this brewery’s journey it has come to the time where it’s ready to expand. As my elders and ancestors before me have always been voyagers, I have now voyaged the way they did in search of new opportunities. I’ve found a place that fits in Texas. North Texas’s hilly countryside offers all the space a brewery needs to produce and serve the needs of guests without the limitations of large overly saturated cities like NYC. More than space, North Texas’s culture is welcoming to families and loyal to locally produced this aligns with the values of Island to Island’s brand.
Has it been a smooth road?
What is a smooth road? The only smooth road is entering into this world, all else is the work of trying, failing, learning then trying again as an expert. The most impactful work I have to do along the way is managing is self. My mental, physical and emotional self must be kept in balance because my work affects the lives of others and their children.
Keeping away from toxic environments is key to maintaining a healthy state of mind and body for me. Being connected to nature through the natural produce beverages, I manufacture as well as being in nature, working the land and soil that produce our food, are both educational and helps to focus the mind.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I own a natural beverage manufacturing company that currently produces three beverage brands. House of Juice, Island to Island Brewery and Brooklyn Jun Brew.
I specialize in building experiences for guests working closely with corporate clients to create a long-lasting impression or share learning and relaxing engagements. I am known for exposing the market to unique and untaped flavors while cultivating a diversified audience. My company captures the interests of a larger set of demographics than most breweries. With our unique ingredient usage, the diverse audience we attract has more available to them through our offerings than they could find elsewhere.
With a product mix of traditionally boozy to nonalcoholic fermented beverages. I am proud my company has successfully captivated an audience of pregnant women.
What sets House of Juice and Island to Island brewery apart from others is our business model approach to beverage sales. We’re not on a wholesale distribution model. Rather, the company is semi-private with an ultra-lux focus. Consumers must exclusively come to us for our products or we go to them for their large private events, festivals, and brand marketing activations.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The North Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth area is a great place to start a business like mine. In fact, the industry and the cities have been growing rapidly and there is still room. DFW is much more than Dallas and Fort Worth alone. The mid-cities, northern suburbs and southern countryside are bursting with new residents and new construction for a population growth that will want access to leisure and luxury experiences.
I strongly believe the Dallas-Fort Worth area are worth starting up in. While there is a lot of history, there’s also a great deal of expansion and Texas is friendly to small businesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://islandtoislandbrewery.com/
- Phone: 9176645446
- Email: events@islandtoislandbrewery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islandtoislandbrewery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/islandtoislandbrewery
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_islandtoisland
- Other: http://houseofjuicebar.com/
Image Credit:
Tiger White Photography, Danielle Lawson Photography
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