New Contract Makes Pepsi the Next Generation at UB

UB has signed a five-year contract with Pepsico Inc., ending ten years of UB's status as a Coca-Cola campus.

According to Faculty Student Association Executive Director Mitchell Green, over 400 vending machines, fountains and beverage distributors across both campuses have been replaced under the new deal.

The process of changing over started last fall when the university's decade-long contract with Coca-Cola Co. neared its end, Green said. With the contract set to expire, FSA reviewed its program with Coca-Cola and worked with a consultant who spoke to student groups to address issues such as beverage preference and pricing.

"We know students don't have a lot of disposable income, so it was important for us to keep down the prices of beverages on campus," Green said.

Pepsi's pricing structure allowed FSA to keep beverage prices the same as last year. If the contract with Coca-Cola had been renewed, beverage prices would have had to be raised on campus, Green said.

According to FSA Board of Directors President Lorenzo Guzman, Pepsi offered a better marketing program and a more competitive price scale. The Pepsi deal also allowed for brand competition on campus, all of which made the university's decision easy when it signed the deal with Pepsi last March.

Because of the many different brand names under the Pepsico Inc. umbrella, a switch in beverage providers doesn't just mean one brand of soda instead of another. Bottled water lovers across UB have already noticed that Aquafina has replaced Dasani, while students looking for a sports drink will find Gatorade in place of Powerade. And for those who drink juice, Dole has replaced Minute Maid.

According to Green, there is no extra cost associated with the contract switch, with the exception of a few electrical outlets that needed to be repaired for vending machines. One of the other perks, Green said, was that Pepsi agreed to supply all of the new vending equipment on-campus.

Furthermore, under the new contract, Pepsi allows UB to sell Coke products on-campus as well. "It was also very important for us to maintain a variety of beverage choices on campus," Green said.

If the contract with Coca-Cola had been renewed, only Coca-Cola products would have been available on campus at places such as The Elli, Campus Tees, and Teddy's.

"There are a lot of students who prefer Coke to Pepsi, so competition on campus is important," Guzman said. "Now students have access to both products and can make that choice for themselves."

Many students were pleased to see UB make the switch from Coke to Pepsi.

"I don't like Diet Coke at all, but I love Diet Pepsi and Gatorade," said Leslie Paul, a senior psychology major. "I was very happy to see the switch."

"I like Pepsi better so this works out better for me," said Christine Ikeda, a senior computer science major. "I'm not a big soda drinker though, so it's not like it was a big deal when we had Coke on campus. I'm just more apt to buy soda now."

Other students weren't as enthusiastic about the change in beverage options.

"It was one of the first things I noticed when I came back to school, and I was very displeased," said junior David Spira, a communication and history major. "I can't stand Pepsi at all, so I've been buying all of my drinks from off-campus stores since I've been back."

Joe Borgese, a junior business major, was also disappointed with the switch.

"I definitely prefer Coke, but it won't make me not buy Pepsi. I won't start drinking more water because of it," he said.

Guzman said so far it seems that switching to Pepsi was the best choice for UB.

"It was the wiser choice because it was in the best interest of students," he said. "There were complaints made by new students and transfer students when we were a Coke campus, and now we don't have any."