A former Forgotten Harvest facility on Greenfield Road in Oak Park is now humming with machinery that can crank out 150 tons of ice a day, part of a $15 million bet by three Metro Detroit business families that there is still money to be made selling ice, an unglamorous product found on convenience store shelves. Motor City Ice says the investment has created 50 new jobs in Southeast Michigan, and the company officially began operations October 19, 2026.
The venture is a partnership between the Loussia, Yaldo and Kas-Marogi families, according to a news release carried by Morningstar via PR Newswire. Each family brings a different slice of the local supply chain to the table: the Loussias run Value Wholesale Distributors, founded by John Loussia in 1991 and now operated by Matthew and Brian Loussia, which supplies supermarkets across nine states. The Yaldo family previously owned American Ice and worked with U.S. Ice, while the Kas-Marogi family has served Detroit's retail community since 1979 through Kenwood Liquor.
Matthew Loussia said in the release that the three families bring decades of experience in ice manufacturing, grocery distribution and retail operations. He also pointed to a specific opening in the market, saying the recent acquisition of U.S. Ice presented an opportunity for a locally owned company focused on customer service. The Shelby Report notes that U.S. Ice was sold to Home City Ice, a large multistate ice company, in late 2022 when founder Saad Abbo retired, and that the Chaldean News reported in 2024 that some area retailers saw prices nearly double after the acquisition.
Inside the 30,000-Square-Foot Operation
The repurposed Forgotten Harvest building at 21800 Greenfield Road now functions as a fully automated 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, per the release. Its initial 150-ton-per-day capacity is only the starting point — the company plans to expand output to 300 tons daily as demand grows. The plant manufactures premium tube ice packaged in 7-pound and 20-pound retail bags, and it already distributes dry ice, with plans to add in-house dry ice manufacturing down the line.
A separate March profile from the Chaldean News described the company differently at an earlier stage, reporting that Motor City Ice had officially launched in June 2025 and expected to be fully operational by mid-2026, and that the facility would support a fleet of 12 delivery trucks. The October release instead describes operations beginning October 19, 2026, with a brand-new fleet of 11 delivery vehicles.
Smart Coolers Talk to Headquarters
What sets the new venture apart, according to the companies involved, is the technology layered onto a decidedly low-tech product. The release describes a distribution system combining sensor-equipped retail ice merchandisers with AI-powered truck routing technology. Those sensors monitor ice inventory levels at retail locations and transmit the information back to Motor City Ice headquarters, where an AI-based system analyzes sales patterns and anticipated demand before automatically scheduling replenishment deliveries.
Motor City Ice describes the same concept in its own words on its website, saying its smart merchandisers use built-in sensors to monitor stock levels and trigger automatic refills. The fleet of 11 delivery vehicles serves grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers throughout Southeast Michigan, with Motor City Ice initially covering Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties before planned expansion into Grand Rapids and Ohio.
Sustainability and the Road Ahead
The March Chaldean News profile also detailed sustainability measures the company is building into its operations, including water-saving technologies, filtration systems and fuel-efficient logistics. Matthew Loussia framed the broader pitch simply, saying Motor City Ice is bringing modern technology to an old-school business while retaining personal service. For now, the Oak Park plant marks the company's first fully operational chapter, even as earlier accounts of its launch date, fleet size and investment total continue to diverge from the picture described this week.
