Uncle Ben's

Uncle Ben's is a brand name for parboiled rice and other related food products. The brand was introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which was later bought by Mars, Inc. It is based in Houston, Texas. Uncle Ben's rice was first marketed in 1943 and was the top-selling rice in the United States from 1950 until the 1990s.[1] Today, Uncle Ben's products are sold worldwide. In 2020, Mars announced plans to "evolve" the brand name and logo, noting the character was based on a racial stereotype.

For the comic book character, see Uncle Ben.
Uncle Ben's
Product typeRice
OwnerMars, Incorporated
CountryUnited States
Introduced1943 (1943)
MarketsWorldwide
Websiteunclebens.com

Origins

In the 1910s, the German-British scientist and chemist Erich Huzenlaub (1888–1964)[2] and the British scientist and chemist Francis Heron Rogers invented a form of parboiling designed to retain more of the nutrients in rice, now known as the Huzenlaub Process. The process entailed vacuum drying the whole grain, then steaming, and finally vacuum drying and husking.[3][4] Besides increasing rice's nutritional value, it also made it resistant to weevils and reduced cooking time.[3]

In 1932, Forrest Mars, Sr., moved to the United Kingdom with a remit to expand the Mars food company internationally.[5] While in the United Kingdom, Mars learned of Erich Huzenlaub's work with rice. Huzenlaub's London-based company was Rice Conversion, Ltd.[6] The two eventually formed Mars and Huzenlaub[7] in Houston, Texas, which gave Forrest Mars partial ownership of the Huzenlaub Process rice conversion patent. In 1942, through Mars's guidance and sponsorship, Huzenlaub created, together with Houston food broker Gordon L. Harwell, the company Converted Rice, Inc., which sold its entire output to the U.S. and British Armed Forces. The advantage of this product was that it could be air-dropped to troops in the field without risk of weevil infestation, and it could be cooked more quickly than other rice products. Additionally, the converted rice product would retain more nutritional value.[8] In 1944, with additional financing from the Defense Plant Corporation and an investment by Forrest Mars, it built a second large plant.[9] In 1959, Forrest Mars purchased Erich Huzenlaub's interest in the company and merged it into his Food Manufacturers, Inc..[10]

Marketing
Ad for the product from 1951.

Since 1946, Uncle Ben's products have carried the image of an elderly African-American man dressed in a bow tie, which is said to have been based on a Chicago maître d'hôtel named Frank Brown.[11][12] According to Mars, Uncle Ben was an African-American rice grower known for the quality of his rice. Gordon L. Harwell, an entrepreneur who had supplied rice to the armed forces in World War II, chose the name Uncle Ben's as a means to expand his marketing efforts to the general public.[13]

In March 2007, Uncle Ben's image was "promoted" to the "chairman of the board" by a new advertising campaign.[14]

In September 2017, Mars, Inc. announced plans to certify the sustainability of basmati rice sold under the Uncle Ben's brand. This move is carried to encourage the local farmers to opt for the best agricultural methods.[15]

On June 17, 2020, Mars, Inc. announced that they would be "evolving" the brand's identity, including the brand's logo. The move followed just hours after Quaker/PepsiCo acknowledged its Aunt Jemima brand is based on a racial stereotype and it will change the name and logo.[16][17]

See also

References
  1. Palmeri, Christopher. “Wake Up, Mars!” Forbes. (December 13, 1999)
  2. Birth Certificate of "Erich Gustav Wilhelm August Louis Huzenlaub" - http://bp0.blogger.com/_siCHlxAln1w/RhAf_n10spI/AAAAAAAAAXk/4gbkHhH3-ek/s1600/Erich+Huzenlaub+Birth+Ceritificate+Geburtsurkunde.jpg
  3. M.C. Kik and R.R. Williams, "The Nutritional Improvement of White Rice", Bulletin of the National Research Council 112 (June 1945) p. 61ff
  4. British Patents 519,926 (10 April 1940) and 522,353 (17 June 1940); U.S. Patents 2,239608 (22 April 1941), 2,287,737 (20 December 1941), 2,287,737 (23 June 1942), cited in Kik and Williams
  5. Mars company history http://www.mars.com/global/about-mars/history.aspx
  6. Rice Conversion, Ltd. Pamphlet http://bp2.blogger.com/_siCHlxAln1w/RhA7GH10swI/AAAAAAAAAYc/oz1ZYT10QDI/s1600/H.R.+Rice+Conversion+1940.jpg
  7. Mars and Huzenlaub Documents http://bp0.blogger.com/_siCHlxAln1w/Rg29CX10r7I/AAAAAAAAARg/wQdZ85Ay0J8/s1600/Mars+and+Huzenlaub+Envelope.jpg
  8. "Science: Richer Rice", Time, 28 June 1943 full text
  9. "Business & Finance: Rice for G.I.s", Time, 28 August 1944 full text
  10. Correspondence http://bp0.blogger.com/_siCHlxAln1w/Rg3ABX10r9I/AAAAAAAAARw/PRNOaZAgdyE/s1600/Forrest+Letter+to+Erich+28+Sep+1959.jpg
  11. "Frank Brown (A.K.A. Uncle Ben???)". Morphological Confetti. February 1, 2006.
  12. Kendrix, Moss H. "The Advertiser's Holy Trinity: Aunt Jemima, Rastus, and Uncle Ben". Museum of Public Relations. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  13. "Uncle Ben's – About". UncleBens.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006 – via Internet Archive.
  14. Elliott, Stuart (March 30, 2007). "Uncle Ben, Board Chairman". The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  15. "Uncle Ben's orders up 100 per cent sustainable rice". BusinessGreen. September 22, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  16. Valinsky, Jordan (June 17, 2020). "Uncle Ben's follows Aunt Jemima in move to phase out racial stereotypes in logos". CNN. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  17. Lacy, Lisa (June 17, 2020). "Uncle Ben's Vows to Upgrade 'Visual Brand Identity'". AdWeek. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.