Uncommon Jam Flavors Drive Urban Spreads’ Business

The year is 2012 and the sweet aroma of freshly pressed fruit fills the air. The hustle and bustle in the kitchen of Amy Smith—mother of three and jam connoisseur—mark the humble beginnings of a small business in the neighborhood of Franklinton. These home-kitchen trials will lead to some unusual flavor combinations and the birth of Urban Spreads.

Building on her brother’s idea for a jam business, Smith and her friend Becky Martin began responding to the local demand for quality products. What started out as a simple hobby grew into a full-on business venture as they invested many hours taking their jams to farmers markets and local events.

Throughout the years, they have developed a strong relationship with their customers: Regulars come back craving their favorite flavors and word of mouth brings new customers eager to sample the spreads.

With flavors such as Peach Tango Mango Salsa, White Chocolate Red Raspberry, and Blueberry Lemon Sage, Urban Spreads is offering products unlike the average store-bought jam. Asked about the creation of new jams, Amy credits her brother for the eccentric flavor combinations. The spark of an idea could be formed from something as ordinary as eating tortilla chips with salsa or the simple curiosity of how different flavors might work together.

Left: Amy Smith; Right: The Peach Cobbler jam uses peaches from Branstool orchards.

The creation of the jams starts with locally grown fruits from orchards, markets and farmer’s auctions around Ohio and Michigan. Smith said they take pride in using quality ingredients, from the fruits to the liquor, and producing jams that have no high-fructose corn syrup or preservatives. Many customers say the Urban Spreads products remind them of Grandma’s homemade jams. For some, expletives are shouted at first taste as an involuntary display of pure enjoyment. One customer said his experience of tasting the Bourbon Peach Habanero resembled a shy kiss (sweet) followed by a strong slap in the face (spicy). With a flavor profile such as that, it is often a fan favorite dipping sauce for chicken nuggets.

Over the years, Smith said they have been able to find many partnership opportunities with businesses and organizations in the area. They buy peaches and apples from Branstool Orchards in Utica for popular jams such as Peach Cobbler, Apple Pie, and Apple Butter. In turn, Branstool sells a large variety of Urban Spreads jams in their farm market.

Another community partnership is Franklinton Farms, a nonprofit urban farm that provides home-grown produce to residents of the Franklinton area. Urban Spreads purchases peppers from the farm for the creation of pepper jellies, and the farm sells Urban Spreads jams at its farm stand. On one recent Saturday, the display included Red Raspberry Jalapeño Basil, Hot Pepper Garlic, Cherry Habanero, and Blackberry Bourbon, among others.

Like other small businesses, Urban Spreads has been hurt by the worldwide pandemic. “It has been a difficult year,” Smith said. Many of the shows and special events where they had previously displayed their wares were canceled, making it difficult to predict sales. But they were able to continue selling at the Grove City Farmers Market, where they have been among the vendors every year since 2013. Smith remains hopeful for the future, saying she strives to “keep going and hope and pray.” 

Balsamic Blackberry is among the unusual flavors.

Running a small business is no easy venture even in the best of times. Smith and Martin are balancing the roles of raising families and trying to run a business with no additional employees Luckily, with the help of family and friends, they have worked out a system. They have even included Smith’s father in the mix as the newest delivery man for the jams. For payment, Smith provides him cinnamon rolls for a delivery well done.

With the creation of Urban Spreads, Smith has found herself growing in her love and gratitude for her community. The local small businesses community has brought together people who share an interest in shopping and sourcing local. From the community of jam lovers to the farmers market regulars, the fan base for shopping local businesses continues to grow. The customers, the people and the connections are all invaluable components to a small business.

“I know we aren’t alone in the unknowns,” Smith said. “We see and know the hard work that so many of our local businesses do, day in and day out. It really is their blood, sweat and tears that inspire me to keep going.”

• Follow Urban Spreads on Facebook at facebook.com/urbanspreads. Their products also can be found at Celebrate Local at Easton; Sommer House Gallery in Grove City; Mad Hatter and Lohstroh Family Farms in Mount Sterling and The Noble Pig in Washington Court House.