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Three Bruin alumni bring Asian-inspired snacks to Ackerman

The Dachi vending machines in Ackerman Union. The machines recently had a grand opening and now offer a variety of snacks from different Asian nationalities. (Joseph Jimenez/Assistant Photo editor)

By Shaanth Kodialam

Feb. 3, 2023 12:01 a.m.

Throughout her early college years, Kelsey Kawana never really saw the snacks she grew up with lining the campus vending machines.

That feeling led her and two other former students at the UCLA Anderson School of Management – Eric Luo and Anne Marie Bessacini – to form dachi, an Asian-inspired treat and beverage company, in 2022. Prior to the company’s official founding, the trio had launched their first dachi vending machine in December 2021 at the management school, and received an outpouring of appreciation for their service, Kawana said.

And, on Tuesday, Kawana, Luo and Bessacini – who all graduated from the management school last year – officially launched four new vending machines in Ackerman Union with the help of Associated Students UCLA.

“Seeing our UCLA alumni go on to start their own businesses is an accomplishment in itself,” said Cindy Bolton, director of ASUCLA Restaurants, in a Tuesday press release. “Now, it’s fulfilling for ASUCLA to collaborate with our alumni to bring dachi to Ackerman Union and provide a chance for everyone to try a variety of Asian-inspired snacks.”

Luo, Kawana and Bessacini met on their first day at the management school while working on a learning team together, Kawana said. They later developed an early form of their product, she added, and a couple of years later, dachi – which means “friend” in Japanese – had its first machine come to life just outside their school.

Since the company’s launch, the vending machines have offered dozens of products from more than five Asian nationalities. The brand is represented by a Japanese red raccoon named Tomo, who takes pleasure in the simple things in life, such as eating, napping and being with friends, according to the dachi website.

“The most important thing is the students. We’re really grateful that the students, starting with Anderson, were so welcoming to us and really engaged with our product,” Kawana said. “There’s things that we learn, things that we can do to make it better, and so we just ask the UCLA community to continue to tell us how we can better serve them.”

At the opening, customers could spin a wheel for a free vending machine snack and complete a personality quiz that would guess their favorite choice. Some options included well-established fan favorites like Pocky and Korean Chapagetti instant noodles, but there were also dachi-original choices, including Tomo’s Golden Almond Cookie.

Bruins who attended the official opening expressed joy and excitement for the new machines.

Lexi Jensen, a second-year bioengineering student, said she appreciated the new snack offerings, adding that they are reminiscent of the Asian snacks she ate as a child.

Jensen, whose favorite snack in the machine is the Apple Sidra drink, said it’s difficult to get these snacks in local stores in Westwood, but she thinks the new dachi machines will make them more accessible.

“I think it’s really nice it’s more accessible to everyone,” said Karen Su, a third-year mechanical engineering student who came alongside Jensen to the official opening. “Because I feel like people who know that they’re good, know it, and people who don’t know it, don’t.”

The appreciation from students and faculty alike has been heartwarming, Kawana said.

Reflecting upon her time studying at Brown University, she said she would often go searching for her favorite childhood snacks, some of which dachi now offers. To date, the company has served over 4,500 customers and offered over 60 unique Asian snacks and beverages, according to the press release.

At the end of the day, Kawana said the company’s ethos has always centered around making people feel represented through its products, even when they may not expect it. The company is always taking suggestions and working to cycle through different offerings in the machines, she added.

“It just really affirms what we knew to be true, which is that more representation –more authentic representation – is at the same time good for business and … really services the community,” she said. “Those two things don’t need to be exclusive.”

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Shaanth Kodialam | News senior staff
Kodialam is a News senior staff reporter for the Bruin. They were previously the 2022-2023 features and student life editor and a 2021-2022 News reporter for national news and higher education and features and student life. They are a third-year communication and geography student.
Kodialam is a News senior staff reporter for the Bruin. They were previously the 2022-2023 features and student life editor and a 2021-2022 News reporter for national news and higher education and features and student life. They are a third-year communication and geography student.
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