Cannabis Delivery Is Changing Fast | The Blunt Boardroom Ep. 01 Ft. Christopher Fevry

Chris Fevry built two cannabis companies from scratch during COVID. No funding. No connections. Just a research rabbit hole and a co-founder willing to bet on an idea nobody had proven in Massachusetts yet.

Today he is the CEO and co-founder of Your Green Package, one of the only third-party cannabis transporters in the state with its own proprietary logistics software, and Dris, a licensed home delivery operator serving the Boston metro area. He is also a Massachusetts Social Equity Cannabis Advisory Board member, appointed by State Treasurer Debra Goldberg.

Matt and Chris recorded this conversation live at NECANN 2026 from the mello booth, one week after Massachusetts dropped two of the most significant regulatory changes the delivery market has seen: the move from a two-driver to a one-driver rule (which changed in November 2024), and the increase in the purchasing limit from one ounce to two.

They cover what those changes actually mean for delivery unit economics, why the average delivery basket is already double the in-store average and what the two-ounce limit does to that number, and how operators who built their businesses around the old cost structure need to think about what comes next.

They also get into the threat nobody in cannabis delivery wants to say out loud: Door Dash and Uber are watching. Chris explains why owning your customer data is the only real moat, and why companies that have been focused on brand loyalty are better positioned than the ones that competed on price.

And he tells the story of what it actually cost to build YGP from two cars and six drivers with no customers, why the social equity framework is real support and a harder road simultaneously, and what he would tell any founder standing at the point where the bills are due and the customers have not shown up yet.

Direct, specific, and useful for anyone operating in or adjacent to the Massachusetts cannabis market.

Topics covered: Cannabis delivery economics, the one-driver rule change, two-ounce purchasing limit, B2B cannabis transport, social equity in practice, Door Dash and the delivery threat, proprietary logistics technology, unit economics, building a cannabis brand from zero.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Christopher Fevry is the CEO and co-founder of Your Green Package and Dris Cannabis, and a Massachusetts Social Equity Cannabis Advisory Board member appointed by State Treasurer Debra Goldberg.

Connect with Christopher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherfevry/

ABOUT THE HOST

Matt Richman is the CEO & CFO of mello Cannabis, an award-winning vertically integrated cannabis company based in Haverhill, Massachusetts. A former Deloitte auditor, he entered the cannabis industry in 2017 after two decades in corporate finance, public/private company CFO and COO roles, and M&A advisory.

He rebuilt mello on one operating principle: run it like a real business. Financial discipline, compliance rigor, and a team culture that develops people rather than burns through them. Under his leadership, mello has grown into a multi-award-winning cannabis company with a dispensary serving the North Shore, a licensed delivery operation, and a valued wholesale partner to dispensaries across Massachusetts.

On The Blunt Boardroom, Matt brings that same perspective to his guests. He asks the questions that operators actually need answered. The unit economics of delivery. The real impact of 280(e) on marketing spend decisions. What everybody wants to know about the new MA laws and pending federal rescheduling. What social equity actually looks like in practice, versus what the marketing materials suggest. How technology and AI are and will be impacting the cannabis operator.

He is both the CEO & CFO, and the difference comes through in every conversation.

Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-richman-508aa413/ https://mellocannabis.com/

New episodes of The Blunt Boardroom drop twice a month.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Marijuana business is somewhat recession proof. People want their marijuana, they want their alcohol, they want their cigarettes. But there's one thing that people can't cut back on when things change, and that's gas prices. So we are actually starting to see a little bit of an impact in the industry on less discretionary spending some of our customers. But you know, hopefully we can do some things by lowering prices and doing deals that you know meets the needs that they have now. Good morning, everybody. It's actually afternoon, so the day's blown by pretty quickly. This is the inaugural episode of the Blunt Boardroom. New podcast that we started. I'm Matt Richmond. I'm also the CEO of Mellow Cannabis, and we're broadcasting here today from Nekan 2026, and we're in the Mellow booth, and I have with me today Chris Fevri. Chris is the founder and CEO of both uh YGP, which is Your Dream Package, and Driss Cannabis, co-founder. I'm sorry. Co-founder with Dari, the more important person of the group, but she's not here with us today. Um, and also uh Driss, which is the home delivery business, mostly centered around the Boston metro area. So hi Chris, thanks for joining me today. Happy to be here. Very good. So um so I have Chris here. I've got a couple questions that I've that I've thought about that I wanted to chat with you about. And you know, one of them in particular is about the home delivery business. And obviously controlling the last mile and delivering products to the consumers is going to be a big part of the industry going forward. You guys are a big player in the space. Number one, how have you been successful so far in the home delivery business? And two, what concerns might you have around maybe new entrants coming into the market, etc., as a result of this rescheduling and pending federal recreational rescheduling?

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yeah. Well, I you know, I think that's a great, great question. I think, you know, the delivery, uh the delivery market in Massachusetts has been one that's been quite volatile. Um obviously when they introduced it, when they had the two-driver rule, that was very challenging for main delivery operators. Um, but really for us, you know, where we've seen success um is through really focusing on our unit economics, make sure we're focused on, hey, we're driving costs, make sure we're keeping costs low, and obviously making sure we're providing the best customer experience to our customers. Um, concerns around new new entrance, deschedule, yeah, you know, now you have the potential for DoorDash and other operators to come in. Um and really the the important thing that we are we need to continue focusing on is creating a brand. You know, Doordash, Uber, these companies are not known for delivering weed. Uh, you know, we're known for delivering weed. So obviously they will have a little bit of more of an uphill battle to client climb climb. Um, but for us, you know, for us, we have you know, we own the customer data, we're also making sure that we're continuing to advertise our customers and making sure that we maintain that brand loyalty. Uh so when that does when that time does come, then obviously we are we are done prepared.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

That that's that's great. And you know, one of the things too to talk about briefly is there's two delivery models there's the courier model and then the operator model. You know, and so Chris obviously has both of them, but the the threats for new entrance is really bigger on the courier side as well for delivery because these companies don't have their own cannabis inventory. Um you mentioned something that I wanted to circle back on. Yeah, the change of the driver rule from two to one, yeah, how big of an impact has that been on your own.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Oh, it's been amazing. I mean it basically makes you a competitor, right? Yeah, I mean, you know, delivery doesn't work with two drivers. You cut your cost in half.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Yeah, and so obviously, you know, when you have higher costs to operate, it creates a higher barrier entry. Yep, now it's lower to operate, maybe there's more people that want to get involved in the delivery business. So it's nice to see these things happening, and I'm happy to see Massachusetts um make some updates to their rules. This one happened last year, but we just had a new rule update from Massachusetts, and one of the big things on it is the increased purchasing limit from one ounce to two ounces. Yeah, I'm curious to know what you think that might have as an impact on your business because I know we both have seen generally delivery average tickets are higher. Yep. So, what do you think might be happening here with the higher limits for your business?

SPEAKER_01 4:23

Yeah, I think the it going to two ounces to purchase is that's a very positive impact for our business. Um, the average basket for delivery is sometimes double or more compared to retail, and so those customers want to buy more product, then they usually typically have a higher median income. And so for us it's a very positive impact where they have the ability to buy more products uh from us directly.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yep, and I think you're gonna see that throughout the whole industry. But you know, in particular deliveries, you know, people want to get a delivery, they're gonna buy a little bit more, which obviously we think is a positive for the industry. Let me jump over now from delivery to B2B transport, which is the other side of Chris's business. B2B transport has been a very competitive business, it still requires two drivers for reasons that it should because the vehicles are loaded with marijuana. But um, I think one of the things we've seen lately in the transport business is a lot of companies that are going out of business, a lot of financial difficulties in the space. And tell me, number one, how has how have you guys been able to navigate through these turbulent waters and why has YGP been able to be successful while others are really not being successful?

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Yeah, and you know, I I think our success is primarily driven by the fact that we are focused on integrating ourselves um within the transportation market. Because you know, our goal at European package is you know, we don't want to just be a transporter, we want to really be your partner in the transportation experience. And the and part of the transportation experience is making sure a product gets safely from the cultivator manufacturer directly to the retailer. And so what you know, for us, like you know, we are the only third-party transporter in the market um that has its own proprietary logistics software that we've customized and built to support our retail partners and also support our the cultivators as well. You're talking about email notifications, you're talking about boxes being scanned on the truck, you're talking about boxes being scanned off the truck, you're talking about again e-manifest, you're talking about being having a portal where you can see all of your all your client purchases, your clients can also get in that you know, you can have that your clients can have their invoices emailed, their COAs emailed, and so we're really creating focused on creating that experience, which is allowed has allowed us to create something different from other other transportation companies. Um, on top of that, you know, we are you know one of the few companies that also we also can buy your product. So for some companies, their transportation cost is zero because their products are very popular on our menu. And the focus there is creating a partnership that's not just, hey, we're just delivering your product from point A to point B, but hey, we're also buying our products and selling your products to consumers. We're also we're also connecting to different retailers and really providing a more holistic experience for the cultivators and manufacturers, on top of even some partners, you know, like you guys, uh you know, you guys store your product with us, and obviously we partner on a very deep, deep level as well. And so, you know, that's for us, I think, one of the key things that's also has made us successful as well as focus on unit economics and costs and so on and so forth.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Yeah, cost is obviously very important for us in this industry. But just for a second, real quick, let's talk about technology. So clearly you've embraced technology and implemented it into your business, which is I think an area that cannabis companies generally are lacking or behind in. Yeah. So that totally makes sense to me. But tell me a little bit more about the portal and some of the solutions that you have, not only for B2B transport, but ultimately for home delivery.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Yeah, on the home, on the home delivery side, uh we you know, we we're not as customized as compared to business to business. On the home delivery side, we have, you know, we partner with Dutchy and we use we use those those functionality or those uh platforms. Um really on the B2B side is where we've taken like the customized platform approach, because simply we never see we didn't see any any softwares that can do you know what our software does. Um and you know, we had the needs and we we had to ultimately ultimately build it. Um on the home delivery side, I think there's also there's also a great opportunity for expansion um or I don't want to say expansion, I would uh the word I look I'm looking for here is um there's there's a lot of opportunity for someone to take technology to take also even the home delivery experience to the next level. Um even the retail experience, there's a lot of opportunity to take for technology to take the retail experience to the next level.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Because there's no real re there's no real retail delivery platforms for delivery. No. Right? We use our regular platforms like Dutchy and everything else, which is great, and they just have an extra delivery option. Yeah, but there's nothing that's really built for delivery and customized to drive higher sales for delivery. And yeah, and we obviously use OnFleet, you know, there's a lot of things we use, but there's no real solution for that. That's tailored towards delivery, yeah. So you guys, well, it's the first podcast, but you know who I am a little bit, you know, I'm a technology type guy as well. So we're gonna we're gonna talk about technology a good amount on this uh on this little show. Um all right, so we're we're trying to be quite be quick on be uh tight on time and stay on our schedule. So I'm gonna move on. So I think this is probably this is a long answer, but Chris is gonna try and do it short. Um everybody's aware that all cannabis industries have social equity or you know, um economic type of programs for certain groups that have been either harmed by the war on drugs or parts of certain um ethnic groups, minorities, etc. And everybody looks at it and says, Oh, that's great, they get a free ride, they get money, they get this, they get that. But it's actually a lot harder to get a business open, even when you are getting assistance from the state. And I wanted to ask Chris if he could maybe just really quickly tell us a little bit about him and his partner's journey to get the business open and some of the challenges that they faced, not only being a social equity, but being a really a very small, single two people trying to start a business when you've got MSOs and giant companies that are throwing millions of dollars around. Yeah. Tell me a little bit about that. And I know it's a long answer, so yeah, do your best to be concise.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

I'll try to keep it short. I think um, you know, when you're when you're a small business starting off in in a in a big space, I think for us uh it's very, very important that we uh kept our ears to the street and listen to any opportunity around us. You know, you come to NECAN, you meet lots of people. But it's very, very important how you follow up and the conversations you have, you know, and and being attentive because there's a lot of a lot of times where there's a window of opportunity and you need to make sure you seize that window of opportunity. And that window of opportunity could be for on the transportation side, it could be hey, when that person gets their final license.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Are you the company that's gonna contact them a week, two weeks after they get their final license, or are you the company that's gonna contact them that same day to congratulate them? We want to be the company that that same day we're congratulating you, and we want to be by your side. And consistently, and being consistent, even with Mello, you guys were on our list for like two and a half years, three years. We you know, we really wanted to partner. And you know, we kept reaching out, kept and until there was a window of opportunity, and when we we you know, we came and I you know, I drove up and then it turned it actually to be a bigger deal.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Yeah, it turns out originally you wanted your transport, and I'm like, well, can you store my product for me? Because I don't know where to put it. And then you have it, right? Yeah. It sounds like a lot of hustle.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Well, you you have you have to. And I think um, and that's just one, you know, obviously something that any social equity business or any business in general is going to have to do. It's like you're gonna have to work, especially in this industry industry, you're gonna have to work really hard. And when you get to the point, you get to the point where you know, any business owner gets to the point of like whether, you know, are you gonna make it or you're not gonna make it? And that's kind of the real test of entrepreneurship, is like what do you do in that moment when you're looking at like, hey, a gigantic bill. And you know, for us, when transportation started, we hired we had two cars and we had to hired six drivers. We had no customers. Right. So it was my job to go find customers, and I called every single person I knew until we got our first customer. And then you just you and then you build on that, build on that, and you build on that, and but but also too, you can't, you know, you can't get, you know, we we talk a lot about like you know, companies that get big and how they have high costs. You can't, once you you're you're growing, you also have to continue to ask for feedback, ask to how to improve. And that's also an important piece too, too, where you can't get complacent. Um, and I you know, I think that's for all businesses, but also especially for social equity businesses who you know may have you know less funding, less funding and be in being a maybe a tougher, tougher situation.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

You know, that makes perfect sense. And and I think at the end of the day, whether it's a social equity business or not, whether it's getting some funding or not, you're still building the same business. And so it's not easier. It's the same road to travel, you know, um and access to other resources are more limited, you know, at times. Versus, you know, if Mello needs to raise money, it probably has more access to capital than an individual is trying to start a business. So that all makes a lot of sense. Um it's actually a great point to end on, you know, higher gas prices, right? So generally, you know, marijuana business is somewhat recession proof. People want their marijuana, they want their alcohol, they want their cigarettes. But there's one thing that people can't cut back on when things change, and that's gas prices. So we are actually starting to see a little bit of an impact of the industry on less discretionary spending for some of our customers. But, you know, hopefully we can do some things by lowering prices and doing deals that you know meets the needs that they have now. But it's definitely a lot of change happened in the industry. We've got new Massachusetts laws, we've got new federal rules. It's gonna be an exciting time for the rest of 2026. Thanks for joining Chris and I on the inaugural episode of the Blunt Boardroom, and we'll be back soon with another uh wonderful guest. Thanks, Chris. Thank you, Matt. Thank you for having me.