MJBulls: Cannabis investing and cannabis fundraising

Ari Raptis | Talaris Transportation

Episode Summary

Accelerating the need for online ordering and home delivery. Cannabis transportation is the invisible infrastructure that is the backbone of the cannabis industry. Ari Raptis from Talaria Transportation joins Dan Humiston to talk about the complexities of running one of the largest cannabis transportation company. He also shares first-hand data on how the Covid-19 crisis is impacting the industry and their online-home-delivery initiative. Produced by PodCONX 

Episode Notes

  Accelerating the need for online ordering and home delivery.

Cannabis transportation is the invisible infrastructure that is the backbone of the cannabis industry.   Ari Raptis from Talaria Transportation joins Dan Humiston to talk about the complexities of running one of the largest cannabis transportation company.  He also shares first-hand data on how the Covid-19 crisis is impacting the industry and their online-home-delivery initiative.

Produced by PodCONX 

Episode Transcription

Dan Humiston: [00:00:00] Did a special optimistic Cannabis and corona report is brought to you by Helix Biotech.

 

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Ari Raptis: [00:01:07] We've ramped up having the vehicles we have in our fully ramped up our membered and we're forecasting that this isn't going to slow down, that this increase in surge or either plateau or keep on growing.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:01:21] So we need to maintain this current Bleau, whether it's moving products onto the shelves or the lab sampling that we're bringing to the labs or the cash I would bring into that to the Federal Reserve from MJBulls Media.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:01:37] It's the Raising Cannabis Capital show. I'm Dan Humiston. And today's show is a special, optimistic Cannabis and corona report about Cannabis opportunities during the global Covid 19 crisis.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:02:03] Cannabis and corona. We have another Cannabis entrepreneur whose company is gaining market share during the Covid 19 crisis. Ari Raptor's, the CEO of Talaria Transportation. Ari, welcome to the show.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:02:15] Hey, Dan. Thank you for having me.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:02:18] Thanks. Voted to speak with you today because the nature of your business gives you a real time view of how the Covid 19 crisis is impacting the Cannabis industry. And before we talk about corona and its impact on the Cannabis industry, can you give our listeners just a quick overview of the Cannabis transportation business course?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:02:40] So Cannabis transportation is a form of logistical nightmares that grower and processors have to avoid. And we solve that problem for them, where the security transport, the armed guards, the touch points of dispensary's that they need to head in one day from six centuries of fifteen, we solved that problem for them.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:03:02] It's complicated. It's way more complicated than anybody can possibly comprehend. I mean, the security alone. I know you guys offer a ton of services, maybe just kind of just roll through some of the additional security that Cannabis transportation services are required to provide.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:03:19] So Cannabis transportation not only has to deal with the state mandated systems, but each state has different state mandated systems. So being compliant in each state is one of the biggest hurdles of any Cannabis transportation company.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:03:34] Yeah. And like you said, I think I read this on your website that you have former law enforcement, you have former military employed within your organization because this is this a risky business?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:03:45] It really is. I mean, we're very fortunate to have all retired state police, all retired law enforcement as team members. We've grown the company for me and another retired officer in the truck going from grower processor to dispensaries. About 75 retired police officers now moving Cannabis across the state.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:04:05] That is so impressive. And you're based in Philadelphia. You want to talk about something impressive? I read that you guys are dealing with over half of Pennsylvania's medical cannabis, transportation and almost all the industry's cash deposits. That is a real accomplishment.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:04:20] Thank you for that. And to Talaria, in the scope of things, we like to say that we keep the wheels of the Cannabis movement from us transporting that product from the cultivator to the dispensaries. Even the lab samples before that product is able to hit the market are importers or Afghan agents of laboratories where we provide samples back to the laboratories that get approved by the state and then the cold America. Then rifles sell their product to the dispensaries. So we hit that touchpoint even before that. Cannabis leads that as a sellable product.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:04:52] Like I said at the very beginning interview, you have so much information just because of all of you, like you said, touch points. You know, additionally, you're currently operating in 14, mostly northeast and mid-Atlantic states since the crisis began. Have you seen a change in demand or how it's impacting certain sectors of the industry?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:05:13] Oh, man. Tell me about it. Well, the dispensaries, like the supermarkets, had a run on them, right? Everyone wanted to stock up and ramp up. So the wheels of the Cannabis industry grew faster and faster. The run on the supermarkets, the run of the dispensaries was a huge impact since the Korona started.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:05:32] I can imagine in you the guys, like you said, you got to keep the Weald mural in you that up. That's had it been a lot of stress on everybody.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:05:42] Thank God we had a strong foundation and that strong foundation relates back to our team members. Without that, we wouldn't be able to be in the position we are in today and be able to ramp up and grow as fast as we did.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:05:55] Now,, since the surge. How's things been since the surge? Is it just leveled off or is is it increased since before?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:06:03] Well, we hired an extra 40 percent more team members onto the team and we purchased 30 percent more vehicles. So we ramped up. How many vehicles we have in our fleet ramped up our key members. And we're forecasting that this isn't going to slow down, that this increase in surge will either plateau or keep on growing. So we need to maintain this current flow, whether it's moving products off the shelves or the lab sampling that we're bringing to the labs or the cash we're bringing to the Federal Reserve.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:06:41] I think a short break to let you listen to a quick preview of our next episode.

 

Joe Lopez: [00:06:46] When you're taking our coffee in the way that we're delivering it, we're telling you you're receiving 25 milligrams of CBB. I didn't bet 80 percent of it is actually being consumed by your body because we're delivering it. With myself, technology and financial system inside them myself. So we're knocking it down to so small, the molecule that you're receivers. Will we see that and your body will take in before it gets discarded?

 

Dan Humiston: [00:07:12] Tune in on Sunday to Raising Cannabis Capital to hear Joe Lopez from Cinergy Drinks. Now let's get back to today's show. You know, there's so much positive. I sometimes feel bad because most of the world is nothing good is happening. But within the Cannabis industry, we've seen so much like acceleration of positive change, for instance, like just being deemed an essential service or having curbside pickup. You're working on a really exciting change. Home delivery. Can you give us an update on that?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:07:46] Of course. So we're looking to be the premier home delivery platform for the medical cannabis world, which is a little different than the other home delivery platforms that you see on our West Coast. Our home delivery platform is going to be focused primarily on the medical marijuana states and focus to medical marijuana patients. It is a need to need as this corona virus pandemic grows and be a need in 2020, 2021. The biggest hurdle that we need to face is a Cannabis industry is how do we come into the 21st century and our lives of service in a realm that if you think about it, we've only been around for X amount of years, but we're in the Stone Age compared to what we can do and we're in the Stone Age compared to where the rest of the world is from. Clicking a few buttons and getting products delivered to your home or even financial institutions not being able to bank Cannabis. These are hurdles that normal industries don't face. But the Cannabis does. And our home delivery platform is trying to bring us into that 21st century for the medical states where there really is no other offering.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:08:52] Well, I think, like you said, you have the infrastructure in place already and the demand is certainly there and the need is there. I mean, just think about it. If you're home, you know, going through chemotherapy, the last thing you want to do is have to go to the dispensary to pick up your medicine. It doesn't make any sense, especially when there are companies like yours that are perfectly designed to handle this. I think you're onto something. I really do.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:09:12] And that's why we want to focus in the medical marijuana. Well, it really hit me home when I was the first one delivering this product, go into the dissenters and see the patients in the medical dispensaries and the need for it. And that's when the wheels started turning on. How can we make this easier for the patients that need this Cannabis? That's where the idea, Melley, that we go to our car came at about where we said, hey, let's let's fight it. Is your solution. And our tagline, what Killara and then Meller coinciding is delivering health and wellness across our Commonwealth. And our mission is to deliver the medicine to the patient and making sure that every patient has the proper medicine that they need to survive.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:09:57] Melley is. That's the online platform, is that correct?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:10:00] Now, Mall-Jo is our online e-commerce marketplace where medical cannabis is online, where you can get it delivered to your home.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:10:08] Ok, look, I know it's tough to make plans while you're under the Kova shadow, but you recently expanded to Maryland. Do you have plans for more expansion in 2020?

 

Ari Raptis: [00:10:20] Yeah, of course. So we're thankful to be part of the medical marijuana program in Maryland. We're an approved carrier where we can transport product. In Maryland, we already have our financial cash side of the business operating there. And the goal of 2020 is to get our home delivery platform up and run in Maryland. Expansion plans in the rescue guys in Missouri and Illinois is two hot markets that we're we're looking to enter and for the medical program and to start transporting medical Cannabis each respective state.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:10:49] Wow. Those are big markets. That's going to be great.

 

Joe Lopez: [00:10:52] Will you be needing to raise capital so at the current moment without raising capital? We're self-funded and we're bootstrapped in this expansion plan and we're very fortunate to be able to self fund everything. But towards the end of 2020 is when we're gonna look to external sources to say, hey, now we've grown a company to 16 states, let's bring it to the rest of the United States. Let's move into that distribution center. Let's move into the other 33 states that are operating.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:11:21] that you're going to have a lot of interest when you mean you probably would have a lot of interest right now, but I definitely will have a lot of interest when you're ready to expand nationwide. And we have all of our trees in tall areas, information in the show notes and also at MJBulls.com. So if anybody wants a circle back and continue this conversation with Ari, I'm sure he'd be glad to talk to you. All right. Thanks for me on the show today and thanks for giving us some positive news.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:11:49] Thank you, Dan. And thank you for having me. It's been a wonderful experience.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:11:53] Well, , let's have you back on again. As we get out of this, we exit this corona shadow.

 

Ari Raptis: [00:11:59] Thank you. Looking forward to.

 

Dan Humiston: [00:12:02] Today's show was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, like all 36. The country's premiere block chain payment processing platform that's providing dispensaries and its customers with a safe and secure payment option other than cash. To learn more. Go to Alt 36 dot com. Today's podcast was produced by MJBulls Media. The industry's premier Cannabis podcast network with original music produced in part by Jamie Humiston. I'm Dan Humiston and you've been listening to the Raising Cannabis Capital podcast.

 

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