Uncle Waithley’s Ginger Beer: The Caribbean Secret Behind Better Cocktails 🍹 | Founder Interview

Behind the Pour

Carl France Williams of Uncle Waithley's Beverage Company left a career that most people would call a success — Procter & Gamble electrical engineer, then P&G brand management, then Pepsi innovation — because he met a consultant who made him feel that the beverage world could be something more personal. Crystal met him through Ponghorn Spirit Prep and has been waiting two years to have this conversation on camera. Roger is behind the camera for this episode; Crystal and Carl are in New York, on location, telling a story about ginger beer that starts in the Caribbean and runs through the golden handcuffs of a Fortune 50 company.

What You'll Discover

• A beverage career that started in manufacturing: Carl's first job was at a Procter & Gamble plant making Salvo detergent and Wired punches. The path from manufacturing to brand management to innovation is the story of someone building knowledge about how products reach people.
• The Pepsi innovation job that changed direction: Carl's last job at Pepsi put him in contact with mixologists. He started asking: what is the next great Pepsi product? He hired a consultant who was so passionate about the space that Carl wanted in. That is the pivot point.
• Leaving the golden handcuffs: A small coffee shop side hustle had already shown Carl that running his own thing was possible. The mixology bars idea followed. Then came Uncle Waithley's.
• Uncle Waithley's as a Caribbean tradition: The ginger beer is named for an uncle — a nod to the Caribbean tradition of craft, family recipes, and homemade beverages that carry names and memories. Carl brings that lineage into a commercial product.
• Ponghorn Spirit Prep: The event where Crystal met Carl, and the community that builds connections between spirits founders and educators like TLC.

A Moment of Pourspective

A beverage career that runs from a factory floor to an innovation lab to a family-named ginger beer is not accidental. It is someone who kept saying yes to the thing that felt real. The golden handcuffs only hold if you keep choosing them.

Explore the Conversation

The Uncle Waithley's episode is an on-location New York conversation — one of the TLC episodes that document the show's geographic reach. Crystal and Carl are in the same place; Roger is behind the camera; the energy is different from a studio setup. Carl's career trajectory is the kind of resume that should not produce a Caribbean ginger beer brand — P&G, Pepsi, Fortune 50 brand management. But the logic tracks: every role taught him something about how beverages reach people and why some products create genuine loyalty while others just compete on price. Uncle Waithley's is the synthesis of that learning applied to a family-origin product. The two-year relationship between Crystal and Carl, from Ponghorn Spirit Prep to this episode, is also the TLC model. The channel does not just review products — it builds relationships with founders and brings them to the audience when the time is right.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Uncle Waithley's? Uncle Waithley's is a craft ginger beer brand founded by Carl France Williams, named for his uncle. It draws from Caribbean beverage traditions and is positioned as a premium mixer and standalone drink.
• What is Ponghorn Spirit Prep? Ponghorn Spirit Prep is a spirits industry event or community where Crystal and Carl met — a gathering place for founders, educators, and spirits enthusiasts.
• Is this a cocktail mixer or a standalone drink? Both. Craft ginger beer works as a standalone non-alcoholic drink and as a premium mixer for cocktails (Moscow Mule, Dark and Stormy, and other ginger-forward builds).
• What is the golden handcuffs analogy? Golden handcuffs is the term for a high-paying corporate job that is difficult to leave because of the salary and benefits. Carl uses it to describe what he walked away from at Pepsi.

Episode at a Glance

• Guest: Carl France Williams (Uncle Waithley's Beverage Company)
• Hosts: Crystal (Roger behind camera)
• Category: Spirits Education
• Location: New York, on location