Nellysford
Nelson County, Virginia

Story And Photos By
Tommy Stafford

In just a little over a week Nellysford’s much anticipated breakfast/brunch and craft coffee spot, Belties, will open to the public on June 14th.

“Let’s have a so called rural Starbucks that has the charm of the farm. Nelson is still a farming area. The charm of the farm rural, and then the biscuit. I’m originally from right outside Danville, Virginia, and they are home of Biscuitville. They went from one to eighty Biscuitville’s. I said, well, Starbucks doesn’t have biscuits like we can do, and Biscuitville doesn’t have all the craft coffees that we can do. That seemed to be a promising combination.” That’s how Belties Co-Founder John Washburn describes the idea for the breakfast and lunch spot that will open on the corner of Adial Road and Route 151 just one day before Father’s Day later this month.

Washburn is the co-founder of Bold Rock Hard Cider company that we told you about years ago, here. It eventually sold in 2019.

Scott DeFusco was a software developer. He worked for a larger company, eventually formed his own company, then sold it a few years ago. Scott told us he missed the personal connection with people since he really never interacted with people that used software he developed. “It’s a very virtual type of business where you don’t get to see your customers interact with what you’ve built. I always admired about John and Bold Rock, seeing people come and have life experiences.”

That ignited the spark for the two that had become friends over the years to create Belties. “I never had that tactile experience in my professional career and the idea of being able to interact with people that are enjoying what we’re doing here is just so attractive to me. So that’s what really made the transition possible. And, now it’s been the best experience of my career is what we’re doing now.” DeFusco added.

The idea of a coffee shop and restaurant named Belties is something Washburn loosely brainstormed from memories of his days living in New Zealand. “I remember back there electricians were called sparkies. Contractors were called chippies. there was this mateship sort of comradery.” He latched on to that ies iteration when they named it Belties. Belted cows, hence Belties. The belted cows that will be on site in Nellysford were imported from Texas.

DeFusco says the drive thru will open in the coming weeks once everything inside is flowing smoothly. “We’re gonna wait until we get our sea legs in here. Not let the tail wag the dog. Once we get a rhythm going, then we’re opening the drive thru several weeks after our initial public opening.”

“We looked up coffee. We were going to do it anyway, Tommy. But coffee is predicted to go up for the next decade. And people are drinking more and more coffee. Harvard Med, Mayo Clinic, they’ve all said that longevity is enhanced by coffee drinking. And, so that’s sort of where the Belties thing was born from, all of that in connection with it,” Washburn continued.

More photos in the gallery below.

Both DeFusco and Washburn are adamant about this being a community gathering spot that is inclusive of locals and not just those that come to Nelson for its beauty and tourism. “If it’s done well, it’s a huge social community component. Maybe even more than a cidery or brewery.  I think that we will get more locals here. This corner stayed in our mind for something that would be tactile as Scott is saying, that would give people experiences, communication, connection. And coffee and connection just go to together, like peas and carrots,” Washburn ended with.

Once open in a few days Belties is open 7 days a week from 7AM to 2PM.

Belties is also on Facebook, here.

See you there soon!