Who doesn’t love a good PB&J? This classic comfort sandwich is served with a mouthwatering twist at one popular restaurant in Fredericksburg. Founded in 2014 by Adrian Silversmith, Sprelly is a eatery specializing in gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and French crepes.
Silversmith says he first had the idea of Sprelly when he and his wife, Casey, took their two young daughters to a local frozen yogurt shop and saw they had peanut butter flavored frozen yogurt.
“That was the inspiration behind Sprelly,” says Silversmith. “I thought, why not have flavored peanut butters and make sandwiches and crepes with them?”
As fate would have it, Silversmith was unexpectedly laid off from his long-term sales career. The rest is history.
“I told a friend about my idea for Sprelly and he encouraged me to enter in the inaugural Made In FredVA Business Plan Contest that was put on by an arm of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce,” he says. “[The] grand prize was $10,000, and the event took place in October 2013. I did not win the grand prize, but I ended up winning the People’s Choice Award.”
That contest led to another called Start-Up Weekend that took place at Germanna Community College where Silversmith, once again, did not win the grand prize but was definitely a crowd favorite.
“At this point, I felt that the idea was validated and I borrowed money from my parents to purchase my first nut grinding machine, and I started teaching myself how to make different nut butter spreads,” Silversmith says. “Our first sale was in the spring of 2014, and we primarily sold at farmers markets and events.”
Since then, Sprelly has grown to produce numerous nut butter spreads, ranging from the best-selling White Chocolate Almond Butter, Sweet Thai Chili Peanut Butter to the Triple Blend (Almond/Cashew/Coconut).
The Silversmiths opened their first brick-and-mortar location in downtown Fredericksburg in April 2016.
“None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for this community,” Silversmith says. “Sprelly was born out of a community-made business contest, and it’s become my mission to continue to give back to the community that has supported me and my dreams for years.”
Sprelly’s menu includes their signature sandwiches, such as the People’s Choice Award-winning Mowi Wowi—Sprelly Triple Blend nut butter spread, aloha jam (pineapple/coconut), Virginia smoked ham and provolone cheese on white bread. The menu has a selection of signature crepes too, like the OMG—Sprelly White Chocolate Almond Butter, sliced strawberries, bananas and Nutella— as well as coffee and retail items, such as spreads, jellies, popcorn, coffee and crepe batter mixes to name a few.
“I have been working with a firm and eyeing the DC and Richmond markets for expansion that will, ultimately, grow nationwide,” Silversmith says. “We’ve also been developing new products and have begun talks with a distributor to help develop the product to put in stores across the country.” — By Gennie Taylor
Spotsylvania County
Population
Population, 2015 estimate
130,475
Total Households, 2011-2015
42,823
Educational Attainment (2011-2015)
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25+
89.5%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+
29.3%
Income
Median Household Income, 2011-2015
$78,125
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Top Employers – No. of Employees
Spotsylvania County Schools – 1,000+
Spotsylvania County Governmen – t1,000+
HCA Virginia Health System – 250-499
Wal-Mart – 250-499
CVS Pharmacy – 250-499
Food Lion – 250-499
AT Solutions – 250-499
Germanna Community College – 250-499
Rappahannock Goodwill Industries – 250-499
Carmax – 100-249
Giant Food – 100-249
EOIR Technologies – 100-249
Richmond Fitness – 100-249
Costco – 100-249
Target Corporation – 100-249
United Parcel Service (UPS) – 100-249
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative – 100-249
Kaeser Compressors – 100-249
McDonalds’s – 100-249
Source: www.spotsylvania.va.us
City of Fredericksburg
Population
Population, 2016 estimate
28,297
Total Households, 2012-2016
10,271
Educational Attainment (2012-2016)
High school graduate or higher, percent of person age 25+
91.3%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of person age 25+
42.3%
Income
Median Household Income, 2016
$53,980
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Top Employers – No. of Employees
Mary Washington Hospital – 1,000+
University of Mary Washington – 1,000+
City of Fredericksburg – 500-999
Medicorp Health System – 500-999
Fredericksburg City Public Schools – 500-999
Walmart – 250-499
Wegmans – 250-499
Snowden Services, Inc. – 250-499
Free Lance Star Publishing, Inc. – 250-499
Rappahannock Area Community Services Board – 100-249
Source: www.fredericksburgva.com
Caroline County
Population
Population, 2016 estimate
30,178
Total Households, 2012-2016
10,965
Educational Attainment (2012-2016)
High school graduate or higher, percent of person age 25+
83.4%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of person age 25+
18.8%
Income
Median Household Income, 2012-2016
$57,294
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Top Employers – No. of Employees
Caroline County School Board – 100-299
Caroline County Government – 100-299
M.C. Dean – 100-299
McKesson – 100-299
Union First Market Bank – 100-299
American Signature and Value Co. – 50-99
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative – 50-99
Peumansend Creek Reg. Jail – 50-99
McDonalds – 50-99
Denny’s Restaurant – 50-99
YMCA – 50-99
L.L. Carter & Son – 50-99
Golden Corral – 50-99
Blue Beacon Truck Stop – 50-99
Williamsburg Millwork Corporation – 50-99
Source: www.yesvirginia.org
King George County
Population
Population, 2016 estimate
25,984
Total Households, 2011-2015
8,379
Educational Attainment (2012-2016)
High school graduate or higher, percent of person age 25+
92.8%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of person age 25+
34.5%
Income
Median Household Income, 2012-2016
$84,342
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Top Employers – No. of Employees
U.S. Department of Defense – 1000+
King George Co. Public School Board – 500-999
County of King George – 250-499
Wal Mart – 250-499
Northrop Grumman Corporation – 100-249
EG & G, Inc. – 100-249
Marconi Technology – 100-249
Integrated Microcomputer System – 100-249
Solutions Development Corp – 100-249
Tatitlek Training Services Inc. – 100-249
YMCA – 100-249
Heritage Hall – 100-249
High Technology Solutions Inc – 100-249
NSWC Federal Credit Union – 50-99
Computer Sciences Corporation – 50-99
Food Lion – 50-99
Bowhead Tech And Prof Services – 50-99
Technology Service Corporation – 50-99
GMP Cable TV – 50-99
Science Applications International Corp. – 50-99
Lockheed Martin – 50-99
McDonald’s – 50-99
General Electric Technology Service Co – 50-99
Basic Commerce & Industries Inc – 50-99
Source: www.yeskinggeorge.com
Stafford County
Population
Population, 2016 estimate
144,361
Total Households, 2011-2015
44,311
Educational Attainment (2012-2016)
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25+
93.5%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+
37.3%
Income
Median Household Income, 2012-2016
$97,528
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Top Employers – No. of Employees
GEICO – 4000+
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations – 2000+
Walmart – 1000+
McLane Mid-Atlantic – 500+
Stafford Hospital Center – 500+
Greencore – 300+
Hilldrup Moving & Storage – 300+
Intuit – 300+
Patricio Enterprises, Inc. – 300+
SimVentions – 300+
Source: www.gostaffordva.com