Fawn Weaver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fawn Weaver
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|---|---|
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| Born |
Fawn Evette Wilson
1976 (age 48–49) |
| Occupation | Author, CEO |
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Notable work
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Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey |
| Spouse(s) |
Keith Weaver
(m. 2003) |
| Parent(s) |
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Fawn Weaver (born in 1976) is an American businesswoman and writer. She is the CEO of Grant Sidney Inc. In 2017, Weaver helped start Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. She also works there as the main historian. Fawn Weaver is the founder of the Nearest Green Foundation. In March 2021, she joined the board of directors for Endeavor.
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Early Life
Fawn Weaver grew up in Pasadena. Her parents were Frank and Philomina Wilson. Her father, Frank Wilson, was a Motown recording artist. He later became a Christian minister around 1975. Through her father's ministry, Fawn met famous Motown singers like Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson when she was young.
When she was 15, Fawn faced some tough times. She lived in different places, including shelters, before finding a safe place at Covenant House in Hollywood.
Before she turned 19, Weaver started her first company, FEW Entertainment. This company focused on public relations and special events. She quickly got two big clients, which helped her business grow.
Career Highlights
Starting Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
In 2016, Fawn Weaver traveled to Tennessee. She wanted to interview the family of Nearest Green for a book she was writing. Her research helped show that Nearest Green was the first master distiller for the Jack Daniel Distillery. He also taught a young Jack Daniel how to make whiskey.
This discovery inspired Fawn to create the Nearest Green Distillery and the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand in 2017. This made her the first African-American woman to lead a major spirits brand. It was also the first American spirit brand with an all-female executive team. In 2019, Fawn was the first African-American person to be on the cover of American Whiskey magazine.
By 2018, the Uncle Nearest brand was sold in 12 countries. It is now the best-selling spirit ever owned by an African-American. In September 2019, Uncle Nearest opened its first distillery. It is located on a large 270-acre ranch in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
In 2022, Fawn Weaver was named one of Food & Wine's Drinks Innovators of the Year. She shared this honor with Uncle Nearest's master blender, Victoria Eady Butler.
Supporting Others
Before starting the distillery, Fawn Weaver also founded the Nearest Green Foundation. This foundation honors Nearest Green's history. It offers scholarships for his descendants to go to college. The foundation also has a museum, a memorial park, and supports the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand.
Fawn also helped create the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative. This is a partnership between the foundation and Jack Daniel's. It includes a distilling program at Motlow State Community College. It also has a Leadership Acceleration Program that helps African-Americans get apprenticeships. There is also a program to help black micro distillers grow their businesses.
In 2020, Weaver started the Black Business Booster program. This program helps ten Black-owned spirits companies with things like branding, distribution, and money. In June 2021, Weaver and Uncle Nearest created the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund. This fund has $50 million to invest in spirits companies owned by minority groups.
Other Work and Achievements
Fawn's career began in 1994 with her company, FEW Entertainment. In the early 2000s, she worked as an executive in restaurants and real estate. She then founded Grant Sidney Inc. in March 2010.
Weaver's first book, Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage, was published in 2014. It became a bestseller, reaching #3 on the New York Times Nonfiction Paperback list. In 2015, she wrote The Argument-Free Marriage. This book offers a 28-day plan to help couples have happier marriages by managing disagreements.
In 2018, Time magazine named Weaver one of "31 People Changing the South."
She was also an executive board member for Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) and Slavery No More. She served on these boards from January 2014 to December 2019. In March 2021, she joined the board of directors for Endeavor.
In 2024, Weaver received the Distinguished Patriotic Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. On July 9, 2025, Weaver became an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Personal Life
Fawn Evette Wilson was born in 1976. Her father was Motown Records songwriter and producer Frank Wilson. She has been married to Keith Weaver since 2003.
