It’s summertime!
You know what that means: it’s the only time when the Middletown and Hamilton campuses of Ohio’s Miami University can stock the vending machines with the products of Pepsi’s competitors!
Albeit confined to the bottom row, so students will have to crouch down to access those non-Pepsi products. According to the contract, released as part of the College Cola Contract Crowdsource project, this carveout is allowed due to the closure of the campus convenience stores.
MuckRock started the College Cola Contract Crowdsource project last year, requesting the agreements setting rules for on-campus cola consumption and signage. The options at most colleges vending machines are determined by these contracts with Coca-Cola or Pepsi.
Miami University has a contract with Pepsi-Cola that allows the company exclusive rights to sell its beverages across the university’s four campuses. The term started July 1st, 2014 and will run until June 30th, 2024 - or until the university has purchased $8,500,000 of Pepsi products.
There are a few exceptions to Pepsi’s exclusive rights.
Convenience and retail stores are allowed to stock non-Pepsi products. However, Pepsi still gets dibs on location and must have the right to occupy at least 75% of beverage and cooler space.
The agreement had to be amended in 2016 when the main campus in Oxford got a Starbucks. Only then did the University get to seek contract with a different provider for food and beverages.
Do you want to learn about the exclusive beverage rights at your college? Let us know where you want us to look via the form below.
Image by Nenyedi via Wikimedia Commons
