What brand replaced the Aunt Jemima name on pancake mix and syrup in 2021?

Pearl Milling Company replaced the Aunt Jemima name on pancake mix and syrup in 2021. The change applied to the familiar product line after PepsiCo and Quaker Oats retired the Aunt Jemima branding and image.

PepsiCo announced the new name on February 9, 2021, and products began reaching stores under the Pearl Milling Company name in June. The rebrand followed criticism that the old name and advertising imagery were rooted in a racial stereotype.

Pearl Milling Company was not an invented name created solely for the rebrand. The original Pearl Milling Company was founded in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1888 and developed the self-rising pancake mix that later became associated with Aunt Jemima. That history explains why the replacement name sounds like a mill rather than a person.

The recipe and familiar red packaging were initially intended to remain recognizable, so shoppers could identify the products during the transition. Pearl Milling Company is therefore the brand replacement, not Mrs. Butterworth’s, Hungry Jack, or King Arthur Baking.