Aunt Jemima To Become Pearl Milling Company Later This Year

This summer, Aunt Jemima brand pancake mix and syrup will disappear from store shelves, supposedly forever, to be replaced by Pearl Milling Company brand. The familiar Aunt Jemima log fell under fire following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in 2020, as Americans started to reckon with institutional racism built into our cultural and pop cultural institutions. PepsiCo, who own Quaker Oats and by extension the Aunt Jemima brand, had said over the summer that the name and logo had racist roots, and that they planned to change it.

Uncle Ben's rice, owned by Mars, announced their name change -- to "Ben's Original," and abandoning the familiar smiling face of "Uncle Ben" -- in September. At the time, they said that the move was about doing the right thing rather than the easy thing.

"Though new to store shelves, Pearl Milling Company was founded in 1888 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was the originator of the iconic self-rising pancake mix that would later become known as Aunt Jemima," PepsiCo said in a statement, explaining the new name and logo, which you can see below.

In her earliest form, Aunt Jemima was dressed as a minstrel. The appearance has changed a number of times over the years, with Quaker and PepsiCo removing the "mammy" kerchief from her head that was the clearest visual cue tying the character back to slavery.

"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said when the company first announced they would be rebranding. "As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers' expectations."

The new logo was extensively tested, using traditional focus groups as well as conversing with PepsiCo's retail partners and groups representing people of color. The new name and logo are expected to come to store shelves this summer.