Pepsi replaces Coke on campus
Coca-Cola and Sprite fans will have to go off-campus starting this fall to find their favorite beverages.
The University of Indianapolis signed a five-year contract allowing Pepsi-Cola to replace Coca-Cola as UIndy’s main beverage provider.
The switch occurred over the summer, and the full transition took about two weeks, starting with all fountain drink machines.
Director of Athletics Sue Willey oversees the beverages provided in the athletic facilities on campus and also which drinks are NCAA-approved.
UIndy’s athletics department also has to use coolers from whatever company provides their beverages, so Pepsi-Cola coolers will replace the Coca-Cola coolers.
“Pepsi really wanted our business,” Willey said.
UIndy’s Coca-Cola contract expired in August 2010, so UIndy put out a request for proposals on the beverage contract in preparation for a new beverage provider.
According to Willey, Pepsi-Cola was offered the contract because they wanted to make a bigger impact on campus than Coca-Cola.
Willey and Ted Polk, head of Polk Food Services, said that Coca-Cola had little interest in continuing business on UIndy’s campus. This was indicated by drink machines that failed to properly dispense ice and Coca-Cola’s lack of initiative to fix them.
Students will be seeing more Pepsi machines on campus this fall. Photo illustration by Stephanie Snay.
Pepsi-Cola, on the other hand, was eager for the business and offered drink machines with working ice dispensers.
Polk said there were various reasons for the switch, including Coca-Cola’s reluctance to replace worn or malfunctioning equipment.
“Pepsi provided better equipment with the right ice dispensers,” Polk said.
The switch is campus-wide, except for canteen vending machines, which belong to a separate account.
It does not cost anything for UIndy to switch from Coca-Cola to Pepsi-Cola.
UIndy allows Pepsi-Cola to operate its machines on UIndy property, and in return, Pepsi-Cola provides money for scholarships and increases support for UIndy athletic events.
Polk said that UIndy offered Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola products side-by-side years ago, and recalled that Pepsi-Cola products sold a lot better before the campus adopted Coca-Cola as its only beverage provider.
UIndy has been exclusively a Coca-Cola campus for 20 years, and the contracts have been renewed without any bids from other vendors.
“Anytime you have a multi-year contract with a beverage company, it’s good business to put out an request for proposal so different companies can bid for business,” Willey said.
Since Pepsi-Cola is going to be in place for the foreseeable future, students on campus will have to adjust their drinking preferences.
Dr. Pepper and Sierra Mist lovers alike can sip their favorite beverages on the comfort of their own campus.
