STORY BY TIERA N. WRIGHT PHOTOS BY NATE BLAIS
BUDZEE DELIVERY
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uch like the days when pot brownies solely reigned supreme, eventually opening the doors to a wide variety of edibles, dosed meals and culinary delights, delivery is not just for pizza anymore. While delivery services like Uber Eats are navigating the market of delivering “eats” and “not eats”—their descriptor for the inedible products they deliver; Budzee Delivery in Easthampton has cornered the direct from wholesale delivery market for recreational cannabis in Massachusetts. “I think delivery is going to be the next big thing in the industry,” said Kevin Perrier co-founder and CEO of Budzee Delivery, which opened in April. “Changes in the regulations allowed for recreational delivery, and we thought wouldn’t it be great to create something like Amazon?” Consumers, who were already no strangers to online shopping, were forced to relying even heavier on delivery services such as Instacart or 24
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GrubHub throughout the pandemic, and in turn many businesses learned how to adapt, utilize, and implement their own forms of delivery. Added Perrier, “These days we have everything delivered, convenience is king, so it just made sense.” While the ultimate goal is to provide delivery services to the entire state of Massachusetts, currently Budzee services, where permitted, most towns west of Worcester. As the first warehouse-style delivery service in this area, Perrier said one of Budzee’s first priorities was to reach “out to the municipalities that we planned to service, well before launching.” He explained, “we felt it was important to be courteous and let them know we were coming. We did get some push back, as the regulation was very new and not widely known. Most of them were very welcoming though.” Motivated by the idea of helping the area’s economy and creating employment opportunities in his area, Perrier,
with partners Volkan Polatol, COO and Ezra Parzybok, social equity partner and compliance officer, founded Budzee Delivery. Added Perrier, who is also president and CEO of the Easthampton construction company Five Star Corp. “we have already opened Dreamer Dispensary in Southampton; and are launching…Wemelco Manufacturing in Easthampton, as well as Honey Dispensary in Northampton,” which have already resulted in over sixty jobs. As a direct from wholesale model, Budzee stocks all products in house offering “a wide variety of cannabis products including flowers, concentrates, edibles, topicals, beverages, kief, pre-rolls, vapes, shake & trim; as well as some beautiful glass and accessories,” said Perrier. “We‘ve tried to cover all bases; most folks will find all their favorite items in stock.” Once customers have filled their carts and are ready to checkout, delivery is free for minimum orders of $100 before tax.
