Vending Machine Idea for Sanitary Napkins Wins GECCU 2025 Innovation Challenge 

By Admin. Updated 8:56 p.m., Saturday, 26 April 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

A resident of Redemption Sharpes has won the inaugural General Employees Cooperative Credit Union (GECCU) Innovation Challenge with an idea to make sanitary napkins more accessible to women across the country through vending machines.

Ms. LaFleur Little, aged 30, won the finals of the challenge, held at the UWI Global Campus on Saturday (26 April), which was streamed live on social media.

Her idea, developed under her business name Easy Essentials, aims to make it easier to access period products by placing vending machines in public restrooms at selected locations across the country, she said.

She explained, “Question, what would you do if you’re out in public and you need a sanitary napkin but there was nowhere to get one? This is a stressful and uncomfortable reality of many women and girls living in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Ms Little stated that women’s hygiene products “are not a luxury but yet they are not always accessible when you need them. Whether you’re at the market in Kingstown, travelling through the airport, awaiting a ferry to visit one of our beautiful Grenadines islands, or simply enjoying yourself at an event or show. Sudden menstrual needs can interrupt your day causing women to miss work and girls to miss school,” she explained.

“This lack of access affects our dignity, our comfort and opportunity. My solution is simple, instal vending machines in public restrooms. These machines would offer affordable, convenient, discreet sanitary napkins whether it’s an emergency or you just need a backup. The solution is right there, no awkwardness, no delay,” she added.

Ms. Little explained that coin-operated machines requiring no electricity will be used. She plans to install five of them at popular public spaces, including the international airport and the shopping centre at Arnos Vale. Each machine can hold a maximum of 42 menstrual pads, and each pad would cost $2.

“With these machines, we are saying that we see you, we care, and we’ve got you covered. If successful in this competition, this funding will help me bring my first five machines to life and lay the foundation for national expansion,” she said during her live pitch.

Ms Little won by one point and was awarded the grand prize of $3,500. She also won the social media component of the Innovation Challenge after receiving the best feedback from the public. For that win, she was awarded $500. Four other finalists pitched live on Saturday evening, each receiving cash prizes.

GECCU, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ largest credit union held the pitch as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations.

After winning the challenge, Ms Little said that business and entrepreneurship have always been part of her life, and she hopes to pursue her idea and further her studies.

“Growing up, my mother operated a small shop, where my sisters and I would take turns helping out. Later, she expanded into making seasonings and pepper sauces for local supermarkets, and we assisted her by sourcing raw and packaging materials, a role I continue to this day through deliveries and sourcing,” she said.

“I pursued my passion for business academically, studying it during my final two years at Intermediate High School and earning an Associate Degree in Business Studies from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College. After college, I ventured into different small businesses, from creating art pieces to selling ice, further fuelling my love for entrepreneurship,” she further explained.

“I plan to further my studies and work towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. Meanwhile, I am focused on bringing a long-held dream to life: launching my business, EZ Essentials, which will provide affordable, convenient, and discreet access to menstrual products. Menstrual hygiene is a topic very close to my heart. I understand how being unable to access these essential products can cause shame and discomfort, and I want to help change that reality,” she said.

Preparing for this live pitch, I reminded myself that “If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail,” motivating me to give it my very best. I am grateful to GECCU for this opportunity and the support towards making my vision a success, she added.

The Challenge

The Challenge which was open to Vincentians 18-40 years old consisted of two segments, namely an application and video submission segment and then a live business pitch.

For the Application and Video Submission, participants were required to complete an application form and submit a short video (maximum 2 minutes) filmed on a mobile phone, which shared their story and the impact of their idea. A social media contest was held allowing participants to compete for a special prize of $500.00 based on audience engagement
through likes and shares. The deadline for the submissions was Monday, March 31.

In the Live Business Pitch segment, the top five (5) finalists presented their ideas in a live pitch
session. Those ideas were evaluated with a focus on originality, feasibility, scalability, and potential impact. Finalists had 5-8 minutes for their presentation.

The competition was held under the theme “Innovating for a Sustainable Future” and was held to provide a platform to foster innovation, entrepreneurial processes, and business development to spotlight innovative solutions that address critical global challenges such as sustainability, artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, and environmental issues (Blue Economy & Agriculture).