06/03/2024
https://www.facebook.com/share/yGr7bUEZYwgJRG1J/?mibextid=WC7FNe
$480 million dollar High School dropout....Fawn Weaver and Uncle Nearest Whiskey
A high school dropout who left home at just 15, Fawn faced numerous challenges early in life, including a harrowing moment at 20 when she tried to take her own life.
In 2016, a photograph in the New York Times caught her eye—a black man sitting next to Jack Daniel. This was George Green, the son of Nearest Green, a former slave who was erased from many historical accounts. The story online at the time was that Jack Daniels had stole the recipe from a slave. But Fawn had another theory.
For her 40th birthday, she took a trip to Lynchburg, Tennessee, thinking she would write a book about Green. They left after making an unexpected purchase: spending $900,000 for the 300-acre farm she hadn’t realized was on the market, the same location where Green first taught Daniel how to make whiskey.
Fate had one more twist: Weaver eventually found primary documents proving that the farm is the original home of Daniel’s first distillery. As Weaver researched Green’s history—she learned that a 20-year-old Daniel had hired him to be his first master distiller after founding his eponymous distillery in 1866—she also traced his genealogy, reconnecting unknown relatives.
She knew that the three descendants who still worked at Brown-Forman wanted to know why Green had been erased from tours. (The two brands now collaborate on a summit promoting Black-owned businesses.) She had already begun gobbling up trademarks, shocked that Jack Daniel’s had not secured them. And when one descendant shared the opinion that Green deserved his own whiskey, Weaver’s mission became clear.
Fawn started Uncle Nearest Whiskey in 2017.
Today, Uncle Nearest has not only tripled its sales since 2021, projecting $100 million in revenue this year, but it has also become the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in history.
Forbes estimates the company’s worth at $1.1 billion, with Fawn's personal stake valued at approximately $480 million. The brand has garnered over 1,000 awards, emphasizing its excellence and impact on the industry.
Fawn is no 68 on Forbes self-made women's list.
