Uncle Nearest, the country’s largest Black-owned distillery, is widening its reach across spirit categories in announcing a deal to acquire Square One Organic Spirits, the company announced today.
Founded in 2004, Square One was one of the first to produce USDA certified organic spirits, as well as the first organic rye vodka brand. The Charlottesville, Virginia-based company boasts lifetime sales exceeding $22 million with nearly 200,000 cases sold, according to release.
The move comes after Uncle Nearest Distillery founder and CEO Fawn Weaver hinted that the company appeared poised for more deal making while at the Craft Brewers Conference last month. Weaver teased an acquisition of a craft spirit brand – one that attempted to stay small but ultimately would be sold to Uncle Nearest once due diligence was completed in the following weeks.
“With craft distillers, there’s always been this pride in staying small,” she said during the conference. “The company that I’m acquiring – [a] phenomenal company that was trying to stay small. The problem is you stay small too long, you will die or you will have to be acquired, and you will be acquired at a loss because you never had a goal or a dream to be bigger.”
The announcement tied in with the theme of Weaver’s fireside chat that challenged the notion that brands should remain small.
“In 2020, I expressed our vision for Uncle Nearest to not just be a brand, but to become the first spirits conglomerate in America founded by a woman or person of color,” she said in a release.” Many saw this as wishful thinking since we were only three years into our journey at the time.”
Following the purchase of a historic cognac property last year, the new deal adds a third pillar to the Uncle Nearest portfolio and continues Weaver’s aim to respond “to a consumer call for transparent, culturally connected brands.”
Under the new partnership, Square One will maintain its commitment to “farm-to-glass production” and will introduce a new line of organic, gluten-free options designed to appeal to a broader consumer base. Square One’s 20-year staying power has been largely driven by founder and CEO Allison Evanow, who was often the primary or sole salesperson throughout most of the brand’s history. She will continue to play a leadership role, ensuring the brand’s founding principles remain at the forefront of its expanded operations.
“While we have really loved being an independent brand so that we could focus on quality organic ingredients and unique flavor profiles, the intense demands of handling nearly all sales personally underscored the need for stronger backing,” said Evanow in a release. “Uncle Nearest will not only preserve our independent spirit and world class quality, but also bring the robust sales and distribution capabilities we need to reach our full potential.”
A rebranding of Square One Organic Vodka, led by The Formulation Group, will be unveiled prior to expanding into all 50 states this summer. The current lineup includes a straight vodka, several flavored vodkas, a line of sparkling vodka cocktails, and organic mixers. Those products will now complement Uncle Nearest’s whiskey and bourbons, as well as a forthcoming Cognac release.
In October 2023, Uncle Nearest became an acquirer with the purchase of Domaine Saint Martin, a historic property with vineyards comprising 40% of one of the six distinct growth areas in the Cognac appellation. A former vice president of marketing for Patrón, Adrian Parker, took the helm as president of the new venture.
Weaver has also alluded to Tequila as part of the company’s future, adding at the Craft Brewers Conference that if you see her in Jalisco, Mexico, “know that I’m putting down roots.”