GOSHEN — When Goshen College sophomore Hans Weaver was trying to come up with the perfect tea recipe for his new company, he looked no further than his home in Pennsylvania.

Weaver and freshman Niles Graber Miller, Goshen, are two of seven young entrepreneurs who benefited from a GC business department grant to start or expand their ventures. Their business is called Menno Tea, a beverage brewing and bottling company.

According to department Chairwoman Michelle Horning, $25,000 in grant money was disbursed to six businesses — from the tea production company to music and video production and mobile advertising ventures.

The business department receives a Lilly grant each year designed to keep college graduates in Indiana. The GC business department uses the funds in various other ways, including funding hands-on student projects in cooperation with local businesses. This year, the department decided — after a couple years hiatus — to again help student businesses expand or get off the ground. There were eight applicants for the program, with six approved.

"The other two businesses just needed a little more work," Horning said. Those students were encouraged to bring their ideas back for another try.

Of the six businesses, Menno Tea was the only brand-new company. It is still in the experimental stage as the brewers perfect their recipe and production process. There was a cooler full of the tea for visitors to try Wednesday at an event in GC’s Newcomer Center showcasing the six businesses.

Weaver and Graber Miller connected last October and began to brainstorm. Weaver had been pursuing a soda bottling business, but the two decided tea was the way to go.

"Soda is declining, tea is on the rise," Weaver said. "When we were looking for a recipe, I looked no further than the recipe cabinet at home."

With a family tea recipe in hand, the next step was figuring out how to mass produce the beverage, which Weaver said will taste familiar to those of Mennonite backgrounds.

"When I was young, I wished I could have that tea when I wasn’t at home," Weaver said. "To share it with others is meaningful."

The duo hope — after the process is perfected and the health codes satisfied — to be able to not only have a firm toehold on campus, but also to make a big push in downtown Goshen this summer.

"We hope to be at Maple City Market and the Electric Brew," Weaver said. The students keep things local by purchasing some of their ingredients at Maple City Market.

After the presentation by Weaver and Graber Miller, Horning asked the latter to put on his other hat.

Along with Menno Tea, Graber Miller is the owner of NGM Designs, a mobile advertising company. Goshen residents may be familiar with his colorful Volkswagen bus sporting advertising for Constant Spring and other local businesses. Graber Miller sold ad space on the bus last fall. Another recent project is a Volkswagen bug he converted to electric that will also be used for advertising.

Other businesses

The other five businesses focus on technology, photography music and video production.

Jacob Landis-Eigsti, Lakewood, Colo., has been interested in video production from a young age. His business, Reimagine Cinema, started last fall and produces music videos and short films.

"I used the grant to expand my studio and software and for advertising," he said.

He works with bands to produce their videos, including groups in Toronto and Montreal, Canada. His work can be viewed on YouTube and his Facebook page.

William Frisbie, Goshen, a rap/hip-hop artist with the stage name 3CK, has a faith-based music production company called Entertaining Angels, which promotes the work of positive artists, including gospel hip hop. Frisbie said Wednesday that he is being considered for recording work by a large record label in that genre.

Another music industry business that received grant money is ResQ, a music recording, publishing and producing company started by junior Idris Busari, a Goshen musician.

Junior art major and grant recipient Abi Tsigie, Ethiopia and Goshen, owns Ras Photo Studio. Ras Photo Studio specializes in black and white photography, but works with color photography for weddings, portraits, and other events. Tsigie also collects and experiments with old, film-based cameras.