Uncle Ben's

In the 1910s, the German-British scientist and chemist Erich Huzenlaub (1888–1964)[3] 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 removal of the husk.[4][5] Besides increasing rice's nutritional value, it also made it resistant to weevils and reduced cooking time.[4]

In 1932, Forrest Mars Sr., moved to the United Kingdom with a remit to expand the Mars food company internationally.[6] While in the United Kingdom, Mars learned of Erich Huzenlaub's work with rice. Huzenlaub's London-based company was Rice Conversion, Ltd.[7] The two eventually formed Mars and Huzenlaub[8] 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.[9] In 1944, with additional financing from the Defense Plant Corporation and an investment by Forrest Mars, it built a second large plant.[10] In 1959, Forrest Mars purchased Erich Huzenlaub's interest in the company and merged it into his Food Manufacturers, Inc.[11]

Uncle Ben's milling plant was on the Houston Ship Channel until 1999, when it moved to Greenville, Mississippi.[12][13]

Ad for the product from 1951.

From 1946 to 2020, Uncle Ben's products 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.[14][15] 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.[16] The name "Uncle Ben's" was criticized as racist as White southerners reportedly addressed Black men as "uncle", allegedly in order to avoid using Mr.[17]

In March 2007, Uncle Ben's image was "promoted" to the "chairman of the board" by a new advertising campaign.[18]

In September 2017, Mars, Inc. started to certify the sustainability of basmati rice sold under the Uncle Ben's brand, in order to encourage the local farmers to opt for the best agricultural methods.[19]

On June 17, 2020, Mars, Inc. stated that it would be "evolving" the brand's identity, including the brand's logo. The move followed just hours after Quaker/PepsiCo changed the name and logo of its Aunt Jemima brand amid accusations of racism.[20][21] As advertised on September 23, 2020, Mars Inc. will replace the "Uncle Ben's" name with "Ben's Original".[22]

It has been reported that microwaveable rice packets, Uncle Ben's pre-cooked rice being the most wide-spread one, are being used as the sterile, nutrient-rich substrate needed for Psilocybin mushroom growing. On Reddit, the community r/unclebens is specifically designed to gather Psilocybin mushroom growers using this method.[23][24]

• Official website