JACKSON, TN – After a decade of being dormant, a beloved Southern ingredient makes a comeback, much to the delight of loyal customers. Three Rivers Cornmeal, a staple in kitchens in the South for nearly 100 years, is back in production and flying off store shelves, according to grocers.

Hometown Food Company, which acquired baking brands White Lily, Martha White and the rights to Three Rivers in June 2018, recognized that passionate Southern cooks were still missing the Three Rivers product a decade later. The company heard pleas to bring it back from customers who had used the self-rising cornmeal mix for generations to make classic cornbread with the taste and texture Southerners have come to cherish.

“It’s not often that a product has a brand following that’s this strong even after 10 years of being out of production,” said Dan Anglemyer, Chief Operating Officer of Hometown Food Company. “We heard our customers loud and clear and couldn’t be happier to reintroduce the original Three Rivers Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix to long-time customers. We are also committed to making Three Rivers available to our loyal consumers through a broad network of retail stores.”

Hometown Foods heard from customers who missed the brand through a Facebook page dedicated to seeing its return. The independent page operated by fans, originally named “Bring Back Three Rivers Cornmeal,” launched in May 2009 and is active today under its newly changed name, “Three Rivers Cornmeal – It’s Back!” It features tips on where to find the sought-after ingredient, in addition to rave reviews of the relaunch including “finest cornmeal ever made,” “essential for Southern cooks” and “just like I remember.”

Three Rivers Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix is ground from whole kernels of white corn, producing an extra-smooth cake-like texture. It can be found in limited areas of the South during the initial relaunch but will be more widely available throughout the year, according to Hometown Foods. Currently, it can be found at Food City, Ingles and Kroger grocery stores in portions of Tennessee and Georgia, where it’s reported to be selling out quickly.

More information on Three Rivers Cornmeal can be found on its product page that also features a classic recipe of Three Rivers Crackling Cornbread.