Purple ribbon sugar cane tastes a little different from its tropical relative. For a while, it thrived on Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia. Then, disease nearly wiped it out in North America altogether. Now a team of farmers, geneticists, and historians have come together to bring back the Purple Ribbon Sugar Cane. And, in doing so, help save Gullah Geechee culture.

"They're interested in it and they don't mind planting it, but they want to see how fast it grows, how much we can produce, and really sink their teeth in it," said Sapelo Island historian Cornelia Bailey about attracting younger people to sugar cane production.

We speak with Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society founder Cornelia Bailey, Georgia Coastal Gourmet Farms owner Jerome Dixon, and Carolina Gold Rice Foundation Chair David Shields about the project and what it means for the Gullah Geechee community on Sapelo Island.