by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
May 22, 2024
With the acquisition of Square One, Uncle Nearest now has a vodka brand under its umbrella.
Uncle Nearest has announced that it has acquired Square One Organic Spirits as One Organic company celebrates its 20th anniversary of debuting as America’s Original All-Organic Spirits Company.
The move comes after Uncle Nearest acquired Domaine Saint Martin, which has existed for over 350 years, last year. With that acquisition, Uncle Nearest became the city’s largest owner of Grande Champagne vineyards. Now, it has added vodka under its umbrella. Square One became the first company dedicated to making exclusively USDA-certified organic spirits when it came out in 2004. It also was the first organic rye vodka brand.
“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,” said Fawn Weaver, founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, in a written statement.” Many saw this as wishful thinking since we were only three years into our journey at the time.”
Through Uncle Nearest, Square One will continue its commitment to farm-to-glass production while introducing a line of organic, gluten-free options that will appeal to a bigger audience. Founder and CEO Allison Evanow will stay in a leadership role to ensure the brand’s founding principles remain on target with its expanded operations. The product will be rebranded under the direction of The Formulation Group.
“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,” says Evanow. “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.”
As Square One embarks on its 20th anniversary, the company has seen lifetime sales surpass $22 million, with nearly 200,000 cases sold.
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