The Source
For Uncle Nearest CEO Fawn Weaver, making spirits is secondary to cementing the legacy of Nathan “Nearest” Green, the nearly forgotten godfather of Tennessee whiskey.
The first company wide Zoom call for the Tennes see whiskey maker Uncle Nearest came in mid-March. Though staffers were separated by space and cables, headphones and screens, their anxiety was palpable. A pandemic was not just spreading across the country—it was devastating the industry.
Later that month, the American Craft Spirits Association would report that almost 90 percent of the 150 distilleries surveyed had closed their tasting rooms, which often account for a substantial percentage of sales. Nearly 60 percent had laid off or furloughed employees.
Plus, Uncle Nearest, only three years old, had ambitious plans. The company’s prizewinning whiskeys were already for sale in 50 states and 12 countries. It was spend ing $50 million to turn a 270-acre farm in Shelbyville into a distillery, tasting room, gallery, restaurant, and concert space, and it funds a charitable foundation. But it had yet to turn a profit.
Nearest is the brainchild of Fawn Weaver, an entrepreneur and author of a bestselling relationship book. In 2016, she saw a New York Times article about Nathan “Nearest” Green, who, while enslaved, taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey and after Emancipation became that company’s head distiller. She moved from Los Angeles to Tennessee, thinking she might turn the story into a book or movie. Within days, she learned that the site of Green’s old distillery, the Dan Call farm, was for sale and made an offer. As she interviewed Green’s descendants, one suggested that the best way to honor him would be to finally put his name on a bottle.
Weaver quickly rose to the challenge. Her business background—she had previously launched a PR firm and a well-regarded L.A. restaurant, G. Garvin’s—and support from friends and family helped her raise a $3 million seed round. She partnered with a Nashville whiskey maker to produce the spirits, and within months was bottling the first blend.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
8 Ways SMBs Can Win in a Tight Talent Market
The Great Resignation has made competition for the best employees more intense than ever
Through the Looking Glass
Glen Tullman envisions an upside-down world-one where health care isn't broken and patients get the treatment they need at a cost they can afford. Now all he needs to do is bring transparency to a system that, by design, is anything but clear.
The Humbling of Andy Dunn
This is the story of a founder who hit it big and suffered a mental breakdown-and his efforts to win back the trust and relationships he wrecked in the process. One day at a time. One person at a time.
Save Yourself—Then Save the Company
After a devastating customer experience, I regrouped and analyzed everything about my business-and then took my company back.
She's Outgrown the Garage and Is Ready for the Next Step. He Has the Experience to Guide Her
Boxed co-founder Chieh Huang helps Bearaby founder Kathrin Hamm navigate the thorny issues that arise when managing a rapidly growing business.
The Future of ...WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE RUNWAY IN FADS, FASHION, AND FIRMWARE
I think influencer marketing should become more plugand-play, like with Facebook ads."
NET ZERO
Give a ton of a carbon, take a ton. That's what we must do by 2050 or face climate catastrophe. Remarkably, it's possible with pretty simple math: Seven pioneering entrepreneurs plus seven technologies plus seven economic pathways equals a cool, carbon-neutral planet-and continued prosperity.
MARK CUBAN'S PRESCRIPTION FOR BIG PHARMA
Drug companies face a whole other kind of trial, thanks to a dose of this entrepreneurial legend.
IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU GOT ON TIKTOK
Tip Sheet
INC. BEST WORKPLACES 2022
The Companies Making Work Work