After several criticisms over the years of this brand and its logo due to racist stereotypes in which "Aunt Jemima" is perceived as a racist caricature of a black woman who comes from slavery, Quaker decided in February 2021 announce that the image of said woman would be eliminated as well as replace this brand with the name and logo of Pearl Milling Company. This is because PepsiCo attorneys purchased the Pearl Milling Company trade name and logo on February 1 and trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Perrott, PLLC in Washington saw the filing Monday morning.
It's worth mentioning that the Pearl Milling Company was the company in the late 19th century that created the original ready-made pancake mix, according to PepsiCo. It was founded in 1888 by Chris L. Rutt. Rutt named the original troupe after "Old Aunt Jemima", an 1875 song from a minstrel show that featured blackface performers wearing aprons and bandana headbands.
The new Pearl Milling Company brand logo replaces the Aunt Jemima image with what appears to be a 19th-century watermill, then used for grinding flour. The new logo's red, white, and yellow color scheme matches the colors that were used on Aunt Jemima's packaging.
"This name is a nod to where our delicious products began before becoming the family's favorite breakfast staple," PepsiCo said of its new Pearl Milling Company brand. "While the Aunt Jemima brand has been updated over the years with the intention of eliminating racial stereotypes, it has not progressed far enough to adequately reflect the dignity, respect and warmth that we stand for today".
Despite this change, in Mexico you could still find the products under the name "Aunt Jemima".
But it´s for the same reasons that gamesa (part of PepsiCo), decided at the end of June to rename its products in Mexico, but now under the name "Gamesa select", using the same font as Aunt Jemima and Pearl Milling Company, but now with the Gamesa logo at the top, replacing the watermill used on Pearl Milling Company packaging.
Comments