Fairfax peanut butter maker will open manufacturing facility

OmMade Peanut Butter, an all-natural peanut butter brand created by a Fairfax County woman, will build a manufacturing operation in the county, investing $300,000 and creating five jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. Owner Radhika Murari, who sells her products online and at area Whole Foods grocery stores, plans to source 30,000 pounds of peanuts from Virginia farmers over the next three years.

A Reston resident, Murari began making preservative-free peanut butter eight years ago, according to the governor’s office, and the new plant will allow her to move from her home kitchen to a commercial facility that will include a storefront.

OmMade has participated in the Virginia’s Finest agricultural marketing project since 2018, and Murari got her start selling spreads at the Fairfax County Farmers’ Market. The business will receive a $25,000 grant from the governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Fairfax County will match the grant.

Murari said in a statement that she hopes to expand sales nationally. “Supporting innovative agribusinesses like OmMade Peanut Butter is key to spreading economic growth and opportunity to all parts of the Commonwealth,” Northam said in a statement.