November 9, 2026
‘Sapelo’ Spirits Brand Partners With Nonprofit To Preserve Black Geechee Heritage
A portion of sales from every bottle goes toward community-led agricultural restoration efforts.
An Athens, Georgia-based brewing company is using a new citrus-inspired spirit to help preserve the agricultural traditions and cultural legacy of the historic Black Geechee community on Sapelo Island, the Sun Herald reports.
Creature Comforts Brewing Co. has introduced Sapelo, an Italian-inspired aperitivo developed in partnership with Save Our Legacy Ourself (SOLO), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the heritage of the island’s Saltwater Geechee community, according to the outlet.
The partnership supports efforts to revive cultivation of the Sapelo Sour, a historic orange variety introduced to the island from Spain in the 1600s. A portion of sales from every bottle goes toward community-led agricultural restoration efforts.
The initiative carries particular significance for Sapelo Island’s Saltwater Geechee residents, descendants of enslaved Africans who have maintained distinct cultural traditions along Georgia’s coast for generations. Preserving the community’s agricultural heritage is part of a broader effort to protect its Black history, ancestral connections, and cultural identity.
SOLO was established in 2021 and is led by Maurice Bailey, son of the late Cornelia Walker Bailey, a prominent historian, author, and activist who dedicated her life to preserving Sapelo Island’s Geechee heritage.
Cornelia Walker Bailey was widely recognized for documenting the island’s history and advocating for cultural preservation through agricultural revival. Her work emphasized the importance of maintaining the traditions and historical knowledge passed down through generations of Black island residents.
The collaboration between Creature Comforts and SOLO builds on that legacy by connecting commercial beverage sales with efforts to restore a crop tied to the community’s history.
Sapelo features the tart citrus flavor of the Sapelo Sour orange and is designed as an aperitivo, a traditional Italian pre-dinner beverage known for its bittersweet taste.
The coral-colored spirit, packaged in a blue-and-white bottle, can be served with Prosecco, soda water, and an orange slice.
Through the partnership, the companies aim to support the preservation of an agricultural tradition that remains closely connected to Sapelo Island’s Black cultural heritage.
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