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Ragtagd

What can’t you put in a vending machine?

Ragtagd is an Australian startup that has solved a problem that has plagued parents and schools for centuries. They’ve solved the lost-and-found conundrum with a simple, yet brilliant solution; Smart Tags. These tags are embedded in uniforms that parents can then pair to their phones. If your child’s school jacket turns up in the lost and found, you’ll instantly be sent an SMS. Amazing.

Reimagining the school uniform shop

Over 200 schools have already signed up to the Ragtagd management system, and now the team is looking to change the way schools sell uniforms too. The solution is once again so simple, yet elegant. The mighty vending machine, of course. Anyone who has ever been to Japan knows that you can sell just about anything out of a vending machine. The problem? Where do you get a vending machine that can sell uniforms? Would a coke machine work? No.

Enter Epic Sourcing

The journey of the entrepreneur usually starts with a jolt of inspiration. A revolutionary idea that will solve a real problem. Turning that idea into a reality is where things can get tricky. Ragtagd had the plan, they just needed to find a manufacturer they could work with to design and build the machine.

At Epic Sourcing we love nothing more than working with passionate entrepreneurs. Our role is to be a bridge between a brilliant idea and a real business. In other words, to help turn your product idea into a real product.

If Ragtagd needs a Chinese manufacturer to make a vending machine for school uniforms, we say no problem.

Sourcing like a pro

The real challenge we faced with Ragtagd was not just finding a manufacturer that could build bespoke vending machines, but finding one that they could work with in the prototyping and design phase.

“Working with EpicSourcing is just easy and straightforward, TK is super-efficient and responsible, giving us more time to focus on marketing and sales”. 

                - Eugene Holdenson, CEO at Ragtagd

Epic Timeline

December: Start

After a really productive initial meeting, Ragtagd was happy to move forward with manufacturer prospecting.

January: An unexpected expo

Attending an Expo in China is an amazing experience and a fantastic way to a supplier or manufacturer. It just so happened that the huge vending machine expo in Guangzhou city was taking place in January. The team at Ragtagd jumped at the opportunity and flew to China to attend. We joined them on the trip to provide support throughout the process.

February: Expo time

TK from Epic and Eugene, the co-founder of Ragtagd, attended the vending machine expo in Guangzhou. The trip was a huge success and allowed us to make contact with hundreds of manufacturers in just a few days.

February: Expo follow-ups

After attending the vending machine expo we created a short-list of possible manufacturers and visited the factories in person to get a better idea of who could deliver such a specialised product.

May: Prototyping

Just 2 months later, the first prototype had been completed and was shipped to Australia. The prototype was used as a model, which helped generate plenty of interest from schools throughout the country.

July: Prototyping round 2

After the success of the 1st prototype, Ragtagd developed a 2nd, bigger version of the vending machine. There has been continued interest from schools and the future looks bright for this next phase of the company’s growth.
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Epic results 


From a sketch in a notebook, to a physical, functional product in just over 3 months; we call that success. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a project like this come to life, and it was one of our favorite experiences with a startup.

 

Vending machine trade fair China

 

We talk a lot about streamlining the process of sourcing or manufacturing products, and this story really epitomises that goal. Epic Sourcing provides tailor-made solutions that remove the uncertainty and save you time and money. We take care of the nitty gritty sourcing stuff, so you can get back to doing what you do best; growing your business!

 

We had a blast working with the team at Ragtagd and we’re looking forward to seeing the uniform vending machine revolution take off. 

Another happy client!

Tk, at Epic

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