Home Subscriber Only Business Women Finocchiaro brewing up a successful venture with Nitro Bar

Finocchiaro brewing up a successful venture with Nitro Bar

By

Sarah Francis

-

05/26/2023

STEADY GROWTH: Audrey Finocchiaro, co-owner of The Nitro Bar, has taken her coffee business from a simple cart in 2016 to now preparing to open her fourth location in June, in Little Compton.  PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

PBN 2023 Business Women Awards ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Audrey Finocchiaro | The Nitro Bar co-founder SOME SMALL-BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS take a roundabout route before finding their niche. Audrey Finocchiaro isn’t one of them. From the time she was a kid growing up in North Kingstown, Finocchiaro knew she was going to be in the food world, she

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PBN 2023 Business Women Awards ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Audrey Finocchiaro | The Nitro Bar co-founder

SOME SMALL-BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS take a roundabout route before finding their niche. Audrey Finocchiaro isn’t one of them. From the time she was a kid growing up in North Kingstown, Finocchiaro knew she was going to be in the food world, she says. “When I was 6, I had a business called Neighborhood Yummies. I baked and sold cookies to the neighbors. I couldn’t see myself in any other industry,” she said. Finocchiaro, along with her partner, Sam Landcaster, debuted The Nitro Bar in 2016. Since then, the pair have opened three brick-and-mortar coffee houses and their nitro is on tap at more than 60 locations, from the East Bay to Boston. With winter on the horizon, they went looking for a permanent home and partnered with local restaurants and breweries where customers could get nitro cold brew on tap. By the next spring, it was available at dozens of outlets. In 2018, they set up in their first physical location, a cozy, plant-lined, 600-square-foot shared space with Dash Bicycle, a Providence bike store crammed with cycling gear. Along with the nitro brew made with Rhody Roaster beans, caffeine lovers can get their fix of caramel and dirty chai lattes or a dirty wafer – two shots of espresso, chocolate and milk. Ever-evolving treats created by the in-house pastry chef include pesto smash bagels and banana trifle pudding. Since then, the couple has opened two more locations in Newport, one on Pond Street and one on Thames Street. They plan to launch a fourth in Little Compton in June, next to Walker’s farm stand where they can take advantage of the fresh fruit for their pastries. The couple share responsibilities in running the business, with Lancaster handling financials and day-to-day operations. With days that start as early as 6 a.m., the couple have agreed not to bring work home. He loves surfing, while she’s into yoga and owns a studio with her sister. As the couple looks toward their 30s, Finocchiaro takes in the view from her days as a first grader selling cookies to the neighbors. “Sam and I started out with the Nitro Cart using maxed-out credit cards and this summer we’ll have a team of 60 to 65,” she said. “That’s pretty colorful.”