by Keka Araújo
Might 1, 2025
Melky Jean’s enterprise into the spirits trade is much from a capricious enterprise
Melky Jean’s Saint Sauveur Rum celebrates Haitian heritage, resilience, and the 1972 refugee story, a major occasion in Haitian historical past that noticed a mass exodus of Haitians looking for political and financial freedom.
This rum provides a nuanced narrative in honor of Haitian Heritage Month, serving as a strong image of the Haitian journey towards independence and the indomitable spirit that defines its individuals.
As Haitian Heritage Month unfolds throughout the diaspora, a brand new spirit has emerged, one which seeks to transcend the standard narratives surrounding Haiti and provides a style of its wealthy historical past and unwavering resilience: Saint Sauveur 1972 Premium 4 Yr Rum. Based by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Melky Jean, this isn’t merely one other celebrity-endorsed libation. It’s a thoughtfully crafted homage to Haitian heritage, embodied in a bottle that tells a strong story of survival and the enduring spirit of a individuals.
Saint Sauveur Rum units itself aside with its taste profile—a easy, smoky end layered with deep oak, candy caramel, and heat vanilla notes, underscored by hints of spice and cane sugar. This tantalizing mix isn’t just a liquid inside a bottle, however part of a bigger, extra profound narrative. Every 750 mL specialty bottle bears a strong tribute to the Saint Sauveur ship, a vessel that ran aground on the shores of Pompano Seaside, Florida, in 1972, carrying 65 Haitian passengers looking for refuge. This pivotal occasion, typically absent from mainstream historic accounts, serves because the cornerstone of Melky Jean’s model, a potent image of the Haitian journey towards freedom and the indomitable spirit that defines its individuals.
Melky Jean’s enterprise into the spirits trade is much from a capricious enterprise. She stands as a third-generation innovator, her path paved by the entrepreneurial spirit of her grandmother, a resourceful moonshiner who operated within the shadows of the Nineteen Forties, and her mom, a celebrated artisan of the normal Haitian liqueur, Kremas.
Now, as the bulk proprietor of her rum model, Melky shouldn’t be merely persevering with a household custom; she is forging her legacy, imbuing her creation with a deep sense of authenticity and a transparent, purposeful imaginative and prescient.
The model’s resonant tagline, “Style the Heritage, Have fun the Spirit,” encapsulates its core mission. It’s not simply in regards to the drink, however in regards to the wealthy heritage and the resilient spirit of the Haitian those that it represents.
For Melky, Saint Sauveur 1972 Heritage Rum serves as a significant software for storytelling, offering a direct counterpoint to the often-simplistic and damaging portrayals of Haiti that dominate international media.
“So I feel it’s important for us as black individuals to inform our personal tales,” she asserts, highlighting the important want for self-representation.
Her displays introducing the rum typically start with a deliberate train in historic consciousness, “Have you ever ever heard of the Mayflower?”
The near-universal recognition of this iconic ship stands in stark distinction to the unfamiliarity that greets her follow-up, “Have you ever ever heard of the St. Sauveur?”
I hadn’t.
This stark distinction underscores the very essence of Melky’s endeavor.
“And I am going, ‘Pay attention, it’s not your fault. That is my job to let you know a narrative that you just’ve by no means heard of. So the St. Sauveur is the primary ever documented Haitian refugee ship to land on the shores of Pompano Seaside, Florida, within the 12 months 1972.’”
This single occasion encapsulates a broader Haitian American story, one which profoundly resonates with the complexities of id that Melky herself embodies. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Haitian dad and mom, she navigates the hyphenated actuality of being each American and deeply linked to her Haitian roots.
“Being born in America, you’re technically what? American, sure. Proper. Now, think about you’re rising up in New York or New Jersey. You’re American, however your tradition is Haitian. So my first language wasn’t English. It was French Creole.”
The very actual duality typically led to her feeling like an outsider in each worlds.
“To the Individuals, I used to be a kind of boat individuals, you already know. After which to the Haitians, as a result of I spoke Creole with an accent, I used to be a Jasper. I used to be an American. And so when I discovered, you already know, I wasn’t Haitian sufficient. I wasn’t American sufficient, and I wasn’t Haitian sufficient. And so I needed to discover a area in all the pieces that I’ve ever accomplished simply to search out my very own area.”
Saint Sauveur Rum turns into that very area, a tangible illustration of this nuanced id. The model acknowledges and celebrates the multifaceted experiences of the Haitian diaspora, in addition to the broader Black diaspora.
“This model is greater than only a drink—it’s an expertise,” Melky explains with conviction. “It’s a mirrored image of my roots, my rhythm, and what’s been lacking from retailer cabinets.”
Melky’s dedication to genuine illustration extends past the identify and the poignant story of the Saint Sauveur. The model’s visually hanging id, together with the design of the bottle labels, was deliberately entrusted to a Black woman-owned firm based mostly in Chicago.
“The labels on the bottle are created in Chicago deliberately by a lady, a black lady. Very massive for me.”
This deliberate alternative underscores her unwavering dedication to fostering inclusivity throughout the trade and offering significant platforms for Black creatives. For Melky, the narrative of Haiti is inextricably intertwined with the broader tapestry of Black historical past and expertise in the USA and all over the world. Haiti is immediately tied to at least one well-known Midwestern metropolis.
“The Haitian story is inextricably linked to the story of black individuals in America and all over the world, as it may’t be instructed with out Haitian tales.”
This connection echoes the numerous, but typically understated, contributions of Black people to the very material of American historical past, corresponding to Jean-Baptiste Level DuSable, a Haitian of African and French descent, who’s widely known because the founding father of Chicago.
DuSable’s pivotal function in establishing a serious American metropolis serves as a strong reminder of the enduring influence of Haitian and Black people on the nation’s growth.
The 12 months 1972 carries a deeply private resonance for Melky.
“And so in 1972, that additionally was the 12 months that my mom got here to the USA as a result of there was a dictator…And that’s whenever you had the mass load of refugees leaving. They had been looking for political and financial freedom. She wasn’t on the St. Sauveur, however she left Haiti looking for that freedom as properly.”
Her mom’s journey, paralleling that of the Saint Sauveur passengers, underscores the enduring quest for a greater life that has traditionally pushed Haitian migration.
Melky’s entrepreneurial journey with Saint Sauveur Rum can also be a profound act of self-investment. Reflecting on the usually selfless nature of womanhood, she poignantly states, “In case you all the time—as a lady, whether or not you spend money on your relationships otherwise you spend money on your kids, and you’re taking that point for everyone else, you don’t take the time to pour into your self. Yeah. And this is among the first instances in my life I’ve accomplished it. And each time I resolve to guess on me, it makes a distinction.”
This understanding of the very important function of Black ladies in shaping actions and legacies fuels Melky’s want to create a model that genuinely represents and uplifts her group.
“Completely. Nothing with out us is ok. By no means, by no means.”
“And we as Haitians have been concerned in so many pivotal moments in American historical past,” Melky emphasizes, broadening the scope of her narrative past the private to the historic contributions of the Haitian diaspora.
“What I created isn’t only a Haitian rum. It’s a Haitian American rum. As a result of we now have much more in frequent than they attempt to inform us.”
This highly effective assertion underscores her intention to construct bridges and spotlight the shared experiences and intertwined histories throughout the Black diaspora.
Melky can also be deliberately difficult typical perceptions of rum.
“When most individuals consider rum, they consider, you already know, going out on trip and having rum in Jamaica or Barbados. They don’t actually have a look at rum as a participant within the sport. Proper. Yeah. And what I’ve created is a rum that not solely can, you already know, make your pina coladas and your daiquiris. However each of my SKUs, you’ll be able to add ice, and you may sip it.”
This deliberate positioning elevates Saint Sauveur Rum past a mere trip beverage, presenting it as a complicated spirit to be savored and appreciated for its high quality and the story it embodies.
“And whenever you’re sipping it, what I like to say is we have a good time the heritage. what I imply? And in that, we’re tasting the heritage and celebrating the spirit. As a result of the heritage is the Haitian heritage.”
Melky immediately connects the sensory expertise of having fun with her rum with the act of honoring and experiencing Haitian legacy.
Whereas acknowledging the aggressive panorama of the spirits market, she asserts, “It’s not oversaturated with individuals like me. It’s not oversaturated with tales like this one. And we deserve an area in that platform so we will present individuals what Haitian legacy actually appears like, what Haitian royalty actually appears like. , we’re the kings and the queens of all of it.”
For Melky, the spirit within the bottle carries a deeper, metaphorical significance.
“Let’s discuss spirit, as a result of there are good and unhealthy spirits. And whether or not I don’t care if you happen to come from Haiti, if you happen to come from Cuba, if you happen to come from Colombia, if you happen to come from, you already know, New Orleans, we discuss spirits. And it is a good spirit as a result of what occurs is a spirit. You’re taking it. Proper. And you set it inside and also you drink it. Proper. So now that spirit turns into a part of you. As you drink this Haitian American rum, it’s a rum that embodies resilience. It’s a rum that’s celebrating a individuals, and also you’re taking it in.”
This imbues the act of having fun with Saint Sauveur Rum with a profound connection to the enduring energy and spirit of the Haitian individuals.
Melky additionally attracts a strong thread connecting her entrepreneurial journey to the legacy of the ladies in her household.
“My grandmother made moonshine. My mother, who got here to the USA, needed to discover a totally different technique to make cash. So, what she would do is make crema. I wish to say that my grandmother made clay. My mom makes crema, and now I make rum. Sure.”
The maven’s lineage of resourceful and decided ladies offers a sturdy basis for Saint Sauveur Rum, rooting it in a historical past of innovation and resilience.
Saint Sauveur Rum, due to this fact, is excess of a premium spirit. It’s a rigorously crafted narrative, a style of Haitian heritage and resilience, dropped at life by the imaginative and prescient and keenness of Melky Jean.
As Haitian Heritage Month offers a devoted area for celebration and reflection, Saint Sauveur Rum provides a tangible technique to interact with the wealthy historical past and enduring spirit of Haiti, inviting the diaspora and the broader world to lift a glass to a narrative of survival, energy, and the daring reclamation of a vibrant and very important legacy, echoing the foundational contributions of Haitian figures like Jean-Baptiste Level DuSable to the American panorama.
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