The new name for Aunt Jemima’s famous line of pancake mixes and syrups has been announced: Pearl Milling Company. Parent company Quaker Oats, owned by PepsiCo Inc., said in June it would distance the line from the old name, which critics said and the company admitted was based on a racial stereotype
The repackaged products will be on the shelves in June. PepsiCo also announced “a $ 1 million commitment to empower and uplift black girls and women.”
As part of the repackaging, the logo – featuring a black woman – is removed and replaced with an image of the building that is part of the brand’s 131-year history. According to the brand’s website, “Pearl Milling Company was a small mill in the bustling town of St. Joseph, Missouri. Using a pearl milling technique, they produced flour, cornmeal and, from 1889, the famous self-raising pancake mix. Aunt Jemima. ‘
PepsiCo has been criticized for the name Aunt Jemima for years.
In 1989, the brand updated Aunt Jemima’s character by removing her headscarf – something related to stereotypes rooted in slavery – in favor of a right-hand hairstyle. In 2014, the descendants of a woman they believed to have portrayed “Aunt Jemima” in the 1930s sued Quaker Oats for $ 2 billion. “She was developed a long time ago as a group of stereotypes distilled into one person,” Adweek writer Sam Thielman told “CBS This Morning.”
The plaintiffs, whose case was ultimately dismissed by a judge in Chicago, claimed it was a photo of their relative Anna Short Harrington who made the brand famous. They also alleged that Quaker Oats had stolen prescriptions and breached a contract or paid royalties.
Last June, when George Floyd’s murder gave rise to protests racial injustice, PepsiCo was one of many brands and people who faced setbacks over identities that were perceived as problematic. When Lady Antebellum and the Washington Redskins football team changed their names – to Lady A and the Washington Football Team respectively – the food, snack and drinks company pledged to do better.
“As we work to make progress towards racial equality through various initiatives, we also need to review our brand portfolio and ensure they reflect our values and meet the expectations of our consumers,” said Kristin Kroepfl , vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a press release at the time.
“We recognize that Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in an appropriate and respectful way, we realize that those changes are not enough,” continues Croupfl. The brand also pledged $ 5 million to support the black community.