Aunt Jemima

Aunt Jemima was an American breakfast-food brand best known for pancake mix and syrup.

Aunt Jemima was an American breakfast-food brand best known for pancake mix and syrup. Introduced in the late 19th century and later owned by Quaker Oats and PepsiCo, the brand was retired in 2021 and renamed Pearl Milling Company after criticism that its imagery and name relied on racial stereotypes.

History

The pancake mix originated with the Pearl Milling Company in the late 1880s. The Aunt Jemima brand name and character were later developed for marketing, and the brand changed ownership before becoming part of Quaker Oats and then PepsiCo.

Brand imagery and controversy

Aunt Jemima’s name and character were linked to minstrel-show and 'mammy' stereotypes, and were criticized as racist. In 2020, PepsiCo said the brand’s origins were based on a racial stereotype and began a full rebrand.

Rebranding to Pearl Milling Company

In 2021, PepsiCo replaced the Aunt Jemima name with Pearl Milling Company, a reference to the original milling company behind the product. The renamed products began appearing in stores in 2021.

Cultural significance

Aunt Jemima became one of the most recognizable American breakfast brands over more than a century. Its rebranding became a widely discussed example of corporate responses to changing views on racial representation.