Her instincts, passion fuel Java

SUCCESS BREWING: Stephanie Additon, owner of Java Skincare, is seen in her store at 14 Main St. in North Kingstown. Additon's showroom has an eclectic assortment of items for sale. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
SUCCESS BREWING: Stephanie Additon, owner of Java Skincare, is seen in her store at 14 Main St. in North Kingstown. Additon's showroom has an eclectic assortment of items for sale. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

A psychology degree is not the typical credential associated with running a business, but Stephanie Additon is not a traditional entrepreneur.

Additon launched Java Skincare in 2014 from the back of her and her husband’s artisan roasting company, Updike’s Newtowne Coffee Roasting Company and Café in North Kingstown. She opened a retail storefront, as well as offices, in Wickford village in December 2015.

Focusing on skin-care products infused with organic, green coffee for that natural “lift,” the business has taken off, selling wholesale products to 45 boutiques in 12 states, plus spas in hot spots such as San Diego’s La Jolla community and Palm Beach, Fla. A facial collection to supplement the body line is in the works.

Additon, 46, said the success comes from surrounding herself with business advisers who are “smarter” than her, and relying on the intuition and emotional intelligence that led her to that psychology degree to guide her in entrepreneurial endeavors.

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“I come from a place of passion,” Additon said, “but in terms of my everyday work and being an entrepreneur, it’s about team building and helping companies achieve their goals and make people feel good.”

Sustainability and environmental awareness are values she incorporates into her brand and her business strategy, she said.

Born in Warwick, Additon earned her B.A. in psychology at Cambridge College in Boston in 1999, the same year she married her husband, Mark. She worked a series of social work and philanthropy consulting jobs in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. She focused on urban education and helping communities and school administrations “understand the challenges of families and students and how to problem-solve around that,” she said.

The move from consultant to entrepreneur, running Updike’s in 2007 with her husband, was not a huge leap, she said. Funding for consulting work was drying up, so she decided to switch gears.

“It’s a very similar lifestyle,” she said. “You have to be self-motivated. You have to be able to work with people [and] understand what their needs are.”

Her husband is a partner with whom she’s shared business growth through persistence and hard work.

“Every day, I have learned something new and I think that’s part of the fun: to try and solve the next problem and not give up,” she said.

Additon aims to grow the wholesale side of her business and be a national brand. •

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