As a part of the Amsterdam Seed Center history of series, we have paid tribute to Ben Dronkers with the History of Sensi Seeds. Next up, we are paying homage to another Old Dutch Master and one of the most illustrious seedbanks, with the History of Greenhouse Seeds Co and its founder, the self-proclaimed 'King of Cannabis' Arjan Roskam. Arjan Roskam is famous for finding, creating and selling some of the finest cannabis genetics you can buy. Roskam's ambition doesn't end there. It's known that he aims to be the first cannabis billionaire. Whether or not he is there yet remains to be seen, but we do know he had to start somewhere.
Like Sensi Seeds, Greenhouse Seed Co made an indelible mark on cannabis culture, and like Sensi Seeds, Greenhouse was one of the first breeders to stock their strains at the Amsterdam Seed Center when ASC started selling cannabis seeds online.
Beginnings: slow flowering cannabis strains
Roskam's cannabis journey began in the 1980s when travelling in Thailand. It was there Arjan learned about landraces slow flowering cannabis strains. With his pockets full to the brim with exotic cannabis genetics, Arjan returned home and began experimenting with new and exciting cannabis strains.
The early days of Greenhouse Seed Company
Home for Roskam was Amsterdam, and despite the fact the coffee shop scene was thriving, coffee shops only wanted fast flowering high yielding strains. Arjan had taken his newfound knowledge and had begun breeding new exotic long flowering strains and had become frustrated in his efforts to sell his products to the shops. Unable to sell his exciting new product but convinced there was an market for it, Arjan took matters into his own hands and opened a coffee shop to sell his products. Greenhouse Coffee Co Coffee Shops were born.
GreenHouse Coffeeshops: Possibly the most famous in the world.
If you sit in a Greenhouse Coffeeshop for long enough, of which there are five, you will see some celebrity or another. If you don't believe that, you only have to look at the walls of Greenhouse Coffeeshops adjourned with pictures of celebrities from all strands of popular culture that have visited to sample the delights on offer. Greenhouse Coffeeshops are as famous as their clientele, but they were made famous by Arjan's exotic cannabis strains.
Today, you'd be shocked if coffee shops only sold slow flowering strains, no hybrids, no haze's etc. Greenhouse changed all that, and every time a new creation was ready, it was on the coffee shop menu and in the seed bank catalogue. And all because none of the existing coffee shops at the time was interested in the new strains.
The coffeeshops projected Arjan and his cannabis genetics into the limelight. Before long, the self-proclaimed 'King of Cannabis' had multiple coffee shops and a genetic library of which anyone would be jealous.
Greenhouse Seeds Co: Strainhunters
Aside from building a world-renowned cannabis empire, Arjan is arguably just as famous for his work and friendship with another cannabis legend Franco Loja. With Franco, Arjan founded 'Strainhuntes' travelling the world for the rarest and most precious cannabis genetics. Often travelling to hostile environments, the work of Franco and Arjan was all documented and broadcast through Strainhunters social media channels and have racked up millions of views. The Strainhunters project paused due to the untimely and tragic death of Franco Loja.
Greenhouse: The awards and the acclaim.
Arjan Roskam was never shy when admitting what he wanted to achieve in the cannabis industry, and the industry has never been shy when crediting him for all his hard work. Greenhouse Seed Co has over 40 High Times cups and 17 Highlife awards to date, and with no signs of slowing down soon, you can expect to see the awards keep coming. Greenhouse was one of the OG's, but they constantly evolve and innovate, feeding an ever-hungry market.
Present-day: 2020's
Today you will find (covid restrictions permitting) Greenhouse coffeeshops packed with passionate punters delving into some of the most extensive coffee shop menus around. You will also find a catalogue of cannabis genetics that few can rival with a range of clothing and merchandise to satisfy everyone from a casual grower to a Greenhouse superfan.
To round up our short history of Greenhouse Seed Company, we have compiled our Top 3 Greenhouse Seed Company strains.
Top 3 Green House Seeds cannabis strains:
Super Lemon Haze
Super Lemon Haze is possibly the most distinctive smelling and tasting cannabis strain. Created by the legendary Franco in the later '90s, Arjan proclaimed that Super Lemon Haze would be the best strain for the next ten years. Not many would argue, Super Lemon has won prestigious awards and is loved by commercial growers, recreational and medical users alike.
Arjan's Strawberry Haze
Arjan's Haze helped start Arjan's and Greenhouse's journey, so it is only right we include one of them on this list. There is a whole family of Arjan's Haze to choose from, but we've chosen this Swiss Sativa x NL5 Haze Mist to whet your appetite. This one has yet to claim any awards, but it never fails the customers of Greenhouse by delivering a mild body effect with an uplifting cerebral high.
Wonder Pie
In keeping with the demand for US genetics, Greenhouse has a wide range of strains created using genetics from across the pond. Wonder Pie is a Wedding Cake x OG Kush and is as sweet as it sounds. It is typical of a Greenhouse strain as it is high yielding and grows long, dense flowers.