The brand formerly known as Aunt Jemima finally has a new name: Pearl Milling Company.
In a statement released Tuesday, PepsiCo, which owns the Quaker Oats brand, explained the origins of the new name.
“Although Pearl Milling Company is new to store shelves, it was founded in 1888 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was the origin of the iconic, self-rising pancake mix that would later become known as Aunt Jemima,” the company said. said.
The longtime brand announced in June that it would be renamed because “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.”
The new logo will appear on store shelves this summer.
For years, the 130-year-old brand featured a black woman named Aunt Jemima, who was originally dressed as a ministrel character, on its products.
The image has changed over time, and over the past few years, Quaker has removed the “mommy” canvas from the character in an attempt to address criticism that it perpetuated a racist stereotype that persists from the days of slavery. In announcing plans to remove the image and name, Quaker said last summer that he ‘wants to progress towards racial equality’.
“We acknowledge Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a statement. As we work through various initiatives to make progress on racial equality, we must also thoroughly examine our brand portfolio and ensure that it reflects our values and meets the expectations of our consumers.
The new brand Pearl Milling Company said in a statement that the new name had worked with ‘consumers, employees, external cultural and subject matter experts and diverse agency partners’ and ‘developed with inclusivity in mind.’ It also plans a $ 1 million “commitment to the empowerment and upliftment of black girls and women.”