Coon cheese to dump ‘racist’ name after complaint from Aboriginal activist

The owners of Coon cheese have decided to dump the brand name after receiving a complaint which called the current name “racist”.

The Canadian owners of Coon cheese have responded to calls for the name to be dumped, saying after careful consideration, they’ll be renaming the popular Aussie cheese.

In a letter sent to Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan, the company said it wanted to honour the memory of the brand while encapsulating new values, according to The Australian.

The name change comes after Mr Hagan and others including actor Josh Thomas called out the brand name earlier this year, saying it was “racist”.

Saputo Dairy Australia responded to the calls, with the company’s CEO Lino Saputo Jr saying in a statement the brand is developing a new name “aligning with current attitudes and perspectives”.

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The owners of Coon cheese will be developing a new name for the brand. Picture: Peter Ristevski

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“We performed a careful and diligent review of this sensitive situation,” Mr Saputo Jr said.

“We wanted to ensure we listened to all the concerns surrounding the COON brand name, while also considering comments from consumers who cherish the brand and recognise the origin of its founder Edward William Coon, which they feel connected to.

“After thorough consideration, Saputo has decided to retire the COON brand name. As part of this process of transformation, we commit to keep our stakeholders informed as we move forward.

“At this time, we are working to develop a new brand name that will honour the brand affinity felt by our valued consumers while aligning with current attitudes and perspectives.”

The brand, which was originally an Australian owned company, was named after American Edward William Coon.

A statement previously published on the company’s website said the brand was named after “the work of an American, Edward William Coon, who patented a unique ripening process that was used to manufacture the original Coon cheese”.

However, the word is also a highly offensive racial slur used towards people of colour.

Dr Stephen Hagan has lobbied for more than two decades for the brand to change its name. Picture Lenn Campbell

Dr Hagan has been lobbying for more than two decades for the company to change the brand name.

In 1999 Mr Hagan complained to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission about the brand name. His complaint was unsuccessful.

His more recent complaint said the name should be “consigned to the past of outdated racist brands’’.

Earlier this year, comedian and actor Josh Thomas sparked widespread debate when he posted about the brand name, asking if it was still acceptable.

Many argued the brand name was historic and had nothing to do with race, while others felt it was time for a change.

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