So, just where did that rice company get the name "Uncle Ben's"

Many years ago, there was an Uncle Ben: He was an African-American rice farmer living in Texas whose rice crop was known to be of the highest quality. So good in fact that many other farmers would compare their rice to his saying, "It's as good as Uncle Ben's."

Well, in the 1940s, two of the founders of Converted Rice, Inc. were having dinner and discussing how to market their rice better. Sales weren't that great. After a while, it came out that both were familiar with the Uncle Ben story and decided to call their rice Uncle Ben's.

They began to manufacture their rice in the rice growing area around Houston, where Uncle Ben used to farm. As we all know, the idea took off.

And just who is that guy on the box? The maitre d' of the restaurant where that conversation took place was Frank Brown, a close friend of the two founders of Converted Rice. They talked him into posing for the picture, and his image has been used ever since.