After a number of brands touting Black marketing iconography, such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s, were exposed as white-owned, Master P took it upon himself to create food products for Black people by Black people. Introducing his own brand to the world, the well-respected entrepreneur launched his “Uncle P’s Louisiana Seasoned” food line, which includes products like rice, beans, grits, pancake mix, syrup, and oatmeal. With every purchase, a donation will be made to charities assisting both the youth and the elderly in Black communities. Speaking with CNN, Master P explained why he created the Uncle P brand.
“When you look at Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, a lot of those products are mockeries of African-American people and couldn’t even feed our communities. With Uncle P, the more we make, the more we give. And the only way to give is by owning these products,” he said. “If they made billions of dollars off Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, imagine how much we’ll make to give back to our own community. It’ll be us helping us without having to wait for the government. We can actually change the world.”
Uncle P originally launched in March, but it wasn’t until brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s retired or changed their branding in response to the Black Lives Matter movement that consumers took notice of Master P’s new line of products.
“Right now we’re burning down our blocks and our communities while protesting injustice, but if we are able to own products and put money back in our community, we could buy those blocks back instead of burning them down… It’s not just about having the Uncle P products, but also having a good cause behind it. I’m happy that I can make a difference in my communities.”
(via CNN)