Island Ember makes small-batch sorrel in Brooklyn, bringing a Trinidad & Tobago holiday tradition to year-round bottles brewed from hibiscus, warm spices, and honey. The drink grew from homemade batches prepared in Arima and later over a grandmother’s stove in Queens, reflecting the founders’ blended West Indian and African heritage.
Island PopsBorn from a Trinidadian couple’s craving for soursop ice cream, Island Pops makes Caribbean-inspired ice cream, ice pops and sorbets by hand in Brooklyn. Khalid Hamid and Shelly Marshall founded the company in 2015 after developing their recipes and winning a local business-plan competition, later opening their Crown Heights flagship in 2018. Using natural ingredients, including fruit sourced mainly from the Caribbean, Island Pops also ships its small-batch frozen desserts nationwide and caters events in the tri-state area.BROOKLYN, NY
Taste The TropicsFamily-owned Taste The Tropics has been making authentic Caribbean ice cream since 1978, growing from a neighborhood parlor into a wholesale producer and distributor serving the Tri-State area. Its recipes use real Caribbean fruit and natural ingredients, preserving the island flavors that first set the Brooklyn-based company apart. The brand’s 32-ounce containers are sold through supermarkets and specialty retailers, with frozen shipping available for customers farther afield.BROOKLYN, NY
DeJaFrut All Natural SorbetFounded in 2013 by twin sisters Marie and Maria Wilson, DeJaFrut makes small-batch, all-natural Jamaican sorbet from fruit purchased from island farmers. The family-owned Montego Bay business began as the Wilsons’ answer to Jamaica’s lack of a fruit-based frozen dessert and now reaches more than 100 retail outlets, alongside a line of spirit-infused sorbet cocktails. DeJaFrut is dairy-free and made without artificial dyes or preservatives, and carries Made in Jamaica certification.BROOKLYN, NY
(parentheses)Husband-and-wife founders Nick and Tawny Lara built (parentheses) around a shared desire for a satisfying drink without alcohol. Handmade in Brooklyn, the company uses Nick’s small-batch seaweed vinegar and Tawny’s knowledge of tea and botanicals to create slow-sipping drinks for people exploring sobriety or mindful drinking.