Ari Raptis

In 2017, Ari Raptis saw an opportunity in cannabis transportation and logistics and started Talaria Transportation to serve Pennsylvania’s emerging medical marijuana industry.

He knew the venture had great potential, but he didn’t anticipate the exponential growth Talaria would experience within its first few years. As it turned out, cannabis companies desperately needed a third party to handle cash transport and product distribution throughout the supply chain. By March 2020, the Philadelphia-based company had expanded into 14 states and expects to add another half-dozen to its resume by the end of the year.

As Raptis’s understanding of dispensary operations and consumer demand grew, the company also made the move into the B2C market with the launch of its Melly delivery platform.

According to Raptis, the company now generates $11 million in revenue annually, with Pennsylvania accounting for 35% of those sales. Talaria currently transports 65% of the state’s medical cannabis from producers to retailers and 95% of the cash deposits for the industry, he says.

And as America deals with the coronavirus pandemic, businesses like Talaria have become even more important for their clients.

“We are the ones behind the scenes making sure their shelves are stocked for their patient communities,” Raptis says. “During this time, Talaria has implemented strict safety measures to mitigate transportation contamination risks. We’ve updated our standard operating procedures to be entirely digital, eliminating paper copies for transactions and requiring electronic signatures. Our drivers, all of whom are former law enforcement officers, are equipped with gloves, facemasks and hand sanitizer for interactions at pickup and delivery points.”