After nearly three months working at her older sister’s coffee shop, The Nitro Bar in Providence’s West End, Brooke Finocchiaro was fed up with how much plastic was used and promptly became litter – especially plastic straws.
“I would see them everywhere, on the ground on the sidewalk. I wanted to do something to reduce single-use plastic, starting with straws,” said the 22-year-old.
The result was Stop Sucking RI, a company she runs in Providence selling stainless steel straws. Since July, Finocchiaro has secured retail partnerships with The Nitro Bar, as well as Rebelle Artisan Bakery in Providence, and is in talks with a shop in Burlington, Vt., where she attended the University of Vermont.
Each rose gold-colored, stainless steel straw, which comes with a small cotton pouch for travel and brush-like cleaner, costs $10 and can be purchased at the aforementioned retailers and the company’s website.
Finocchiaro built philanthropy into her business model and donates a portion of her sales to Clean Water Action, an environmentally focused nonprofit in Providence.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, Gowdey-backus@PBN.com.