Monday, March 17, 2025
Companies and apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats allow you to order food and drinks from nearby shops and restaurants at any time, and have them delivered to wherever you are. The problem is, sometimes, the smaller local shops can be overshadowed and hidden behind the big guys.
Now, a couple of Long Island natives are trying to change that.
Brian Berkery, of Long Beach, JR Jensen, of Merrick, and Adam Haber, of Roslyn, have set out to give people the opportunity to keep getting their goods delivered, but with an emphasis on highlighting local small businesses. They did so by creating Trellus, a new app, that was able to start being downloaded Feb. 3.
“You open up DoorDash, and you’re a local grocery store, you show up behind Stop & Shop,” Jensen said. “There’s just no way you can compete and get lost in that clutter of all the other third-party apps. Enter Trellus, which is only allowing small and home-based, independently owned businesses be on our platform, where you as a shopper don’t have to worry about all those other businesses.”
Jensen said the company has been working with over 500 businesses for the past three years — without the app — helping them with their last-mile logistics. They’ve been offering next-day and same-day deliveries for the companies that integrated with them, with their goal always being to help businesses get their products to consumers. Now, with the launch of the app, the focus is on consumers getting products from their local businesses.
“You can change your locations, you can explore nearby, you can save addresses as you go,” Jensen said. “We’re really trying to take the experience that’s been in the marketplace for big box stores and major chains, and bring that to small and home-based businesses to put them on that plane.”
The app launched only in Nassau County for now, with sights set on expanding to Suffolk County by springtime, and up to Westchester after that. They were already helping deliver to all three areas. So far, over 50 Nassau County businesses have been approved to be on the app.
They also have plans — down the line — to move into nationwide shipping as well. You live in Florida now but you want your favorite cookies from your favorite Long Beach shop? The Trellus team wants you to be able to get them. They also have ideas to expand outside of Long Island too, and maybe even the entire country at some point, always handling the delivery.
“We reverse-engineered the Amazon business,” Berkery said. “First, Amazon started off with using third-party delivery. They went from post offices to UPS to FedEx. When we started, we built the foundation of a driver network, and then we’re putting the marketplace on top of it, so we’re already set up for delivery. It’s working out really well.”
Trellus currently has about 20 to 30 drivers in their system that drive and do deliveries on a regular basis, but have over 100 drivers approved in their system overall. Berkery said it’s a great way for people to make supplemental income, especially if they don’t want to deliver hot food or drive people around.
“It’s also a great opportunity for people that are looking for supplemental income because for us, it’s different,” Berkery said. “We are same-day delivery, and we don’t deliver hot food or people. The process is super easy. We can have you come through our system, apply today, and be delivering tomorrow and making money, getting paid the day after that for the day that you worked.”
The launch of the app comes right before the rush for Valentine’s Day. The app is featuring local chocolate shops, wineries and its own subscription box company called “LocaLI Bred,” a company Trellus bought out last year. That box contains items from nearby businesses across Long Island, including chocolate, coffee and more. The company is also offering early shoppers free delivery through Valentine’s Day.
Trellus is based in Long Beach, having its distribution site in the city and its offices located in the city’s central business district, landing it right in the heart of many of the city’s local businesses.
“I do a lot of business in the city of Long Beach,” Berkery said. “I’ve been here over 20 years. I just love to just see this city flourish, and that’s what we’re going to be able to do.”
