The Martlet

A local distributor of Coca-Cola products and other independent beverages will service the SUB based on a contract signed last month by the UVSS.

The contract, signed with Ryan Vending of Victoria, will eliminate Pepsi products in the SUB until 2018. The UVSS accepted the deal to give students alternative beverage choices and to continue receiving sponsorship dollars.

“We’re really excited because Ryan Vending is really open to hearing what we want ... a variety and flexibility in products that we haven’t really seen before,” said UVSS Chair Caitlin Meggs.

Ryan Vending’s sponsorship deal is comparable to Pepsi’s, but now along with Coke, the SUB will serve beverages from independent companies, such as Red Bull and Jones Soda.

Allie Hamilton, a fourth-year student at UVic, thinks the switch is a positive move for the SUB.

“It’s awesome, because I love Coke way more than Pepsi,” Hamilton said. “But it’s good to have variety, so that people can get what they want.”

Meggs said the new contract will provide the student body with more funding and sponsorship, and will provide students with the ability to make choices.

“It is cool because Coke is totally down with us buying anything non-Coke [in the SUB] as long as it’s not Pepsi [products],” said Meggs.

The contract will benefit the UVSS by a 25 per cent commission from each product sold, plus $20,000 in funding from Coke. Additionally, Coke handed over $2,000 for marketing, which was used to purchase SUB mugs for new students at the welcome week.

Self-dubbed a “socially responsible” vending company, Ryan Vending wants to work with the UVSS to provide more flexible options in the future. Possibilities could include providing healthier food and possibly eliminating bottled water, the Chair said.

Meggs added that signing with a company served by a major corporation was tough but unavoidable, because only a company the size of Coke could meet product demand on a daily basis.

“I don’t think it’s clear cut,” Meggs said. “We are having a big corporation here [Coke], but we are still having the flexibility to have small, local businesses [Ryan Vending].”

As a non-profit organization, the UVSS also had to be reasonable with its spending, she said. In the end, Meggs said she is satisfied with the deal.

“I think this is the perfect combination, because people can still get their Pepsi products throughout campus if they want to, they can get all their Coke products [in the SUB] if they want to, plus they can get independent beverages,” Meggs said. “I’m pretty stoked about Happy Planet [myself].”

 - With files from Danielle Pope