Students can buy miniature bottles of Tapatio hot sauce in the campus vending machines. But does it reflect the 40 percent Hispanic plurality at Valley College?
"There's going to be a mixture of foods in a diverse population, that's just the way things are going to gravitate, and I think it's a good thing," said Raul Castillo, executive director of the patron's association.
Tapatio is a Mexican condiment but it isn't just Hispanic students who enjoy it. Asian students, 13 percent of Valley's population, enjoy it to. "They put hot sauce on their Chinese food," the Filipino-American Castillo said.
"We forecasted that people would like it," said Ryan Marsh, First Class Vending's vice president. "We figured, people like burritos, they'll probably appreciate the hot sauce to go with it."
Tapatio is sold in supermarkets and liquor and convenience stores. Apparently a little Latino culture has worn off on most Angelinos. Making Tapatio available in vending machines not only reflects the Hispanic population at Valley, but the melting pot indicative of American culture.
Valley chose First Class Vending in the beginning of the fall semester, last year when IC Twins Vending Contract ended. Apparently the former company didn't pay the school and is in litigation regarding the controversy.
"We got all their bids and this one was the best," dean of administrative services Brick Durley said. "They had the best deal both service and finance-wise." Items sold from the vending machines were listed in the bidding process, and Tapatio was one of the items that might have helped seal the deal.
The vending company recommended selling Tapatio.
"They must have a good reason from a sales point of view," said Tom Jacobsmeyer, vice president of administrative services. "If they put okra in the machines it probably wouldn't sell."
Valley receives a 20 to 40 percent commission on the hot sauce and other vending sales. The school received approximately $9,300 between January and March, according to Tom Hiltabiddle, Valley's chief fiscal administrator.
First Class vending has a history of providing quality service and quality products, according to Durley. They participated in the President's Annual Gala in November and donated $1,000 to the Patrons Association, in the interest of students.








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