Three established Metro Detroit business families have invested more than $15 million to launch Motor City Ice, a new ice manufacturing and distribution company in Oak Park, Michigan, creating 50 jobs. The company began operations Oct. 19 after transforming the former 30,000-square-foot Forgotten Harvest facility at 21800 Greenfield Road into a fully automated plant with initial capacity of 150 tons of ice per day and plans to expand to 300 tons.
Motor City Ice is a partnership of the Loussia, Yaldo and Kas-Marogi families. The Loussia family owns Value Wholesale Distributors, founded by John Loussia in 1991 and now operated by Matthew and Brian Loussia, a regional grocery distributor serving supermarkets in nine states. The Yaldo family previously owned American Ice and worked with U.S. Ice, and the Kas-Marogi family has served Detroit’s retail community since 1979 through Kenwood Liquor.
“Between our three families, we bring decades of experience in ice manufacturing, grocery distribution and retail operations,” said Matthew Loussia, co-founder of Motor City Ice. “With the recent acquisition of U.S. Ice, we saw an opportunity for a locally owned company that understands this market and puts customer service first.”
The launch follows a shakeup in the Metro Detroit ice market. U.S. Ice, built by Saad Abbo on a same-day, service-first model, was sold to Home City Ice, a large multistate ice company, in late 2022 when Abbo retired. The Chaldean News reported in 2024 that some area retailers saw prices nearly double after the acquisition, along with designated delivery days, added service fees for off-day deliveries and slower response times; Home City Ice did not respond to that publication’s request for comment.
Technology designed to prevent ice shortages
The company has introduced a distribution system combining sensor-equipped retail ice merchandisers with AI-powered truck routing. Sensors monitor ice inventory at retail locations and transmit the data to headquarters, where an AI system
analyzes sales patterns, anticipates demand and automatically schedules replenishment deliveries, helping retailers avoid outages. A new fleet of 11 delivery vehicles serves grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers throughout Southeast Michigan.
The Oak Park facility manufactures premium tube ice in 7-pound and 20-pound retail bags, using three-stage water filtration with ultraviolet treatment. Motor City Ice also distributes dry ice and plans to add in-house dry ice manufacturing.
The company initially serves Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, with future expansion targeting Grand Rapids and Ohio.
“We’re bringing modern technology to an old-school business without losing the personal service that makes a local, family-owned company special,” Loussia added.