The Aunt Jemima brand for the syrup and pancake blend will have a new name and image, Quaker Oats announced Wednesday, saying the company recognizes that “Aunt Jemima`s origins are based on a racial stereotype.” In June 2020, parent company PepsiCo announced plans to revamp product imagery and change the name following renewed calls for racial equality. The new brand name was unveiled in February. “Last June, PepsiCo and The Quaker Oats Company committed to changing Aunt Jemima`s name and image, recognizing that they did not reflect our core values. Although the name on the box has changed, the tasty products – the `pearl` in the familiar red box – remain the same,” the Pearl Milling Company said in a statement. In a 2015 article for the New York Times, Richardson wrote that the inspiration for the brand`s name came from a minstrel song, “Old Aunt Jemima,” in which black-faced white actors mocked and mocked black people. But, says Kroepfl, “the `aunt`s path` was not on the agenda; Jemima`s derivations were not on the agenda,” which eventually led the company to decide that a female character was not the best option. “We wanted to perpetuate the brand and not create another problem,” she says. Quaker also felt that using a female character “could signal that this brand is for women only,” undermining the intended message that “this is an inclusive brand for everyone,” Kroepfl said. Target said Monday it plans to transport products from the Pearl Milling Company, such as those supplied by parent company PepsiCo. In addition to changing the brand name, Pearl Milling Company launched the P.E.A.R.L.
Pledge in May. Uncle Ben`s logo depicted an older black man who originally wore a bow tie reminiscent of a servant. March, Incorporated announced in September that it would remove Uncle Ben`s name and logo and rename the rice brand to Ben`s Original. Originally, Aunt Jemima was shown with a big smile and a bandana in her hair, an image that has been criticized for years for being accused of promoting racist stereotypes. Quaker Oats bought the Tante Jemima brand in 1925. In 1989, the image was revised, with the new model wearing pearl earrings. Shoppers should know that you can still see a few months of Aunt Jemima brand pancake mix and syrup until the transition is complete. A statement on parent company PepsiCo`s website advises customers to search for the rebranded products: In a statement to NBC News, KIRBY said she feels “a sense of relief knowing that my future children will not grow up in a world where the oppression of their ancestors is imperceptibly used as a marketing tool on a box.” Pretty cool to see the pearl mill pancake syrup shopping ? this morning, hopefully my shop will have it soon too, if they haven`t already pic.twitter.com/cnMEGOZFKU Since the 1940s, rice boxes have depicted a black man with white hair, sometimes with a bow tie, an image that critics say, induces servitude. Mars said the face was originally modeled after a Chicago butler named Frank Brown. The Pearl Milling Company was a small mill located in the bustling city of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Using a pearl grinding technique, they produced flour, cornmeal and, starting in 1889, the famous self-ascending pancake mixture that later became known as Aunt Jemima,” the company`s website said in a statement announcing the change on Tuesday. Berry also said it would be unwise to lament the Quaker change as a loss of representation for black women. In a viral TikTok, a singer named KIRBY discussed the brand`s history in a video titled “How to Make a Non-Racist Breakfast.” She concludes the post, which garnered hundreds of thousands of views across all platforms, with the words: “Black lives matter, people, even at breakfast.” The company removed Aunt Jemima`s image in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the new name will launch in June, a year after the company`s announcement. Quaker plans to reference Aunt Jemima on the front of the package for at least six months so consumers can get used to the change. Products in the new packaging will continue to be shipped over the next few months, the company said, so they are not yet available everywhere. “Retailers are moving at different rates,” the brand said. “We are working closely with our business partners to put the Pearl Milling Company`s new packaging on the shelves.” People can still see some products under the old brand during the transition. Aunt Jemima was among the first brands to announce their rebranding efforts after protests against systemic racism and the murder of George Floyd gripped the country last summer. On the same day, the owners of Uncle Ben, Mrs. Butterworth`s and Cream of Wheat that the packaging of their products would also be checked.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Pearl Milling Co. said it is working with stores to put products with new packaging on shelves in the coming months. Aunt Jemima products are expected to be in stores during the transition, the company said. The new products will hit shelves next June and their products will continue to be available under the name Aunt Jemima without the character`s image until then. The Pearl Milling Company opens up the possibility of developing new products, which was a challenge for Aunt Jemima, Kroepfl says. Having a name and image based on a racist stereotype “frankly made it difficult to invest in growth,” she says. “You really changed Aunt Jemima Syrup`s name to Pearl Milling Company?!” another user wrote. “As if they really couldn`t think of a better name?! I will stay with Mrs. Butterworths from now on, because she is thirsty and rich, has no stupid name either. “Although new to shelves, the Pearl Milling Company was founded in 1888 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was the origin of the iconic self-ascending pancake blend that later became known as Aunt Jemima,” the company said. Aunt Jemima gets a new name, logo and look after announcing she would drop the brand name after being criticized for showing a caricature of a black woman that was a racist stereotype. The brand formerly known as Aunt Jemima finally has a new name: Pearl Milling Company.
Quaker Oats on Tuesday proposed a new image for an old offensive brand. PepsiCo Inc., the parent company of Quaker Oats, announced it was rebranding Aunt Jemima, the popular brand of pancakes and syrups, and removing the racist stereotype used for the product`s image. On Tuesday, the Aunt Jemima brand announced it would change its name to Pearl Milling Company after facing a backlash for basing its iconic syrup mascot on a “racial stereotype.” “As part of its rebranding journey, the Pearl Milling Company has set out to deliver on two promises: to continue to offer the same savory products that families have enjoyed for more than a century, and to inspire moments that matter at the breakfast table and in communities,” the company said. Kristin Kroepfl, chief marketing officer for Quaker Foods North America, told Fortune that the new name “reflects the dignity, respect and warmth we stand for.” In a statement Tuesday, PepsiCo, owner of the Quaker Oats brand, explained the origins of the new name. The Pearl Milling Company will retain the red and yellow packaging found on Aunt Jemima`s boxes and bottles. PepsiCo says its products will continue to be available under the name Aunt Jemima without the character`s image until June. Not everyone is happy with the name change. Relatives of Aunt Jemima`s former spokeswoman have expressed concern that a rebranding would erase part of her family history. Others have argued that it seeks to “clean up the legacy it represents.” The company`s own timeline states that Aunt Jemima was “brought to life” by Nancy Green, a black woman who was once a slave and became the face of the product in 1890. Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben have been criticized for relying on the titles Aunt and Uncle, historically used by people who refused to apply the honorific title of Mr. or Mrs. to a black person.
Amazon, Kroger and Meijer currently sell Pearl Milling Company products online, but Walmart, Target, Albertsons, Food Lion, Publix, H.E.B., Shop Rite, and Whole Foods don`t yet offer them on their websites.