Fawn Weaver

In 2016, Weaver went to Tennessee to interview Nearest Green's descendants for a book project.[6][7] Weaver's work helped reveal the history of Jack Daniel Distillery included Nearest Green as its first master distiller and mentor to a young Jack Daniel,[8][9] inspiring her to found and launch the Nearest Green Distillery and the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand in 2017.[6][10] This made Weaver the first African-American woman to head a major spirits brand, and also the first American spirit brand with an all-female executive team.[10] In 2019, was the first African-American featured on the cover of American Whiskey magazine.[11]

By 2018, the brand had expanded into all 50 states and 12 countries,[10] and is now the best-selling African-American owned spirit ever.[12] In September 2019, Uncle Nearest opened its first distillery, set on a 270-acre ranch in Shelbyville, Tennessee.[7]

Weaver was named one of Food & Wine's Drinks Innovators of the Year in 2022, alongside Uncle Nearest master blender Victoria Eady Butler.[13]

Before establishing the distillery, Weaver also founded the Nearest Green Foundation, which honors the legacy of Green with a scholarship program, a museum, a memorial park, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and a book.[14] The foundation also provides full college scholarships for any of Green's descendants to attend the school of their choice.[15] She also helped create the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, a joint venture between the foundation and Jack Daniel's.[16] It includes the Nearest Green School of Distilling certification program at Motlow State Community College, a Leadership Acceleration Program that offers apprenticeships to African-Americans, and a business incubation program for black micro distillers.[17]

In 2020, Weaver started the Black Business Booster program, to help ten Black-owned spirits companies with branding, distribution, and capital.[7] In June 2021, Weaver and Uncle Nearest formed the $50 million Uncle Nearest Venture Fund to invest in minority-owned spirits companies.[18]

Fawn's career began in 1994, when she formed special events and public relations company FEW Entertainment.[19] She worked as a restaurant and real estate executive through the early 2000s,[20] before founding Grant Sidney Inc. in March 2010.[4]

Weaver's first book, Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage was published in 2014 by Thomas Nelson, and debuted at #3 on the New York Times Nonfiction Paperback list.[21] In 2015, she wrote The Argument-Free Marriage: 28 Days to Creating the Marriage You've Always Wanted with the Spouse You Already Have, which offers a 28-day plan for marital happiness using conflict management.[22]

Weaver was named one of Time's "31 People Changing the South" in 2018.[23]

She was also an executive board member of Meet Each Need with Dignity and Slavery No More from January 2014 to December 2019.[4] In March 2021, she was named to Endeavor's board of directors.[4]