From $100 Days To $4.5M Annually: How A Coffee Cart Saved Their Business – 'We'd Never Seen $100,000 In A Bank Account Before'

In 2016, Audrey Finocchiaro and Sam Lancaster were just two young entrepreneurs trying to make ends meet with their self-built coffee cart. They had maxed out a $1,500 credit card to piece together a wooden cart on bicycle wheels, lovingly named The Nitro Cart. 

From sheep-shearing festivals to farmers markets, they tirelessly pedaled their nitrogen-infused cold brew across Rhode Island. However, they barely earned $100 a day for all their effort.

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"We were exhausted," Finocchiaro recalls. "Working insane hours and seeing no money coming in? It was tough." By the end of that summer, the then-dating couple was ready to throw in the towel. But life, as it often does, had other plans.

Their breakthrough moment came unexpectedly at Brown University. On a whim, Lancaster parked the cart on campus one fall day. In just 30 minutes, the entire cart sold out, bringing in $400 – a mind-blowing sum compared to their usual earnings.

"It was the first time we saw the potential in what we were doing," Finocchiaro says. They began showing up at Brown every day, quickly earning a reputation among students for their smooth, bold, cold brew.

Fast-forward to today and what started as a basement project has transformed into The Nitro Bar, a coffee empire generating $4.5 million annually, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

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The business now boasts three coffee shops and its signature cold brew served on tap at more than 50 locations across Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

The turning point came in 2017 when a pair of venture capital investors stumbled across their cart at a farmers market. One of the investors, who happened to be Finocchiaro's former boss, saw big potential in their small operation. 

The duo offered a $100,000 loan at 10% interest, with the option to convert it into a 10% equity stake. "When we got the investment, it was so emotional because we had never seen anything like that in a bank account," Finocchiaro says. 

But the money didn't mean they could take it easy. The couple worked seven days a week, often logging 80-hour weeks to grow their brand. Finocchiaro remembers panicking over fluctuating cash flow, checking their accounts obsessively. Still, their relentless work ethic paid off. By 2019, The Nitro Bar was profitable and the business hasn't looked back since.

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Social media became their secret weapon. The Nitro Bar's TikTok account boasts over 400,000 followers thanks to fun, relatable videos featuring quirky coffee orders, barista moments and behind-the-scenes peeks. 

"We wanted people to feel like The Nitro Bar was a friend they could hang out with," Finocchiaro explains. The strategy worked, driving a 60% increase in sales since their TikTok gained traction.

The timing couldn't have been better. According to Grand View Research, the global café market is projected to reach $430.02 billion by 2030, growing at a 5.4% CAGR from 2024 to 2030. Meanwhile, Fortune Business Insights reports that cold brew coffee is exploding in popularity, with the market expected to reach $16.22 billion by 2032.

Now married, Finocchiaro and Lancaster have found a balance between running a booming business and maintaining a personal life. "We've learned to shut off work at 6 p.m.," Finocchiaro says. "You can work 80-hour workweeks every week, but eventually, it'll catch up to you."

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