Cannabis in Holland - Interview With A True Dutch Breeder

As an original pioneer of the seed game and legitimate High Times Cannabis Cup winner and ex coffeeshop owner, SSUK asks Jaap Louwerier, owner and breeder of Homegrown Fantaseeds, about his personal experiences about the cannabis scene then, genetics and the evolution of the canna culture.

SSUK: Jaap, can you explain your history in Amsterdam and how you became involved with breeding cannabis?

JL: I started breeding for the first time when I was 14 years old, I took care of the first plants for Dutch Passion. Henk (owner and founder of DP – ed. ) used to be my brother in law and at that point cannabis was not well known so walking around with 10 plants in a paper shopper bag was ok. My parents were not that happy at the end of the summer, when we had huge plants in the back garden of my parents house. [caption id="attachment_6194" align="alignnone" width="500"] The legendary Cheese is now a household name (Photo by Dinafem).[/caption]

What were the genetics you were working with like, as there is so much debate between who had the best genetics and when. What can you tell us?

When I started Homegrown Fantaseeds in the summer of 1997, I was in the lucky position that I was running a coffee shop and that good old school genetics were around. It started with a Swiss client who loved the weed we had and wanted the seeds. More or less at the same time Wernard from Positronics came around and sold his traditional genetics including his own hybrids to me. I also got different clones from various types of plants. I worked again together with Henk of Dutch Passion until our working relationship together ended in 2001, when the first female seeds came around.

What do you think these days of the explosion in seed banks and with the new trends with Cookies and Kush?

It think our whole industry has become like any other industry. We just used to be pioneers on this matter. We were always looking and breeding trying to find and preserve the best genetics, that was the main goal for us. As soon as the companies started to bulk produce seeds and everyone was able to freely buy them, the difference for the public was gone. It came down on good marketing skills instead of who has the best of the best. The Kush varieties from the beginning were really nice interesting varieties. The early Kushes brought their special flavor pallet to the genetics. Girl Scout Cookies is a cool name and it became a hype, now everyone is using the name Cookies just like the Cheese.

Do you think much of the original real deal Dutch genetics are still around or have they been pushed out due to commercial value?

Our genetics are still around, there is a small group of growers that really do their best to maintain old school genetics.

Was CBD a big thing in Amsterdam when you were at the peak of breeding?

No not at all, people were looking for a good smoke, nice taste, good high, good stoned, good buzz and what not. There was never a strain on the menu that was CBD rich.

What are your top 3 strains and do you still smoke what you were smoking way back then?

Over the years the strains I liked the best of our varieties were Cheese, CH.01,Caramella and Blue Haze. I still have the seeds and the genetics but my overall habit of smoking has dramatically changed. Now I go for lighter products and I smoke less than I used to do.

Did you ever work with a certain strain and knew it was the one?

Yes... when we got the Cheese in, I knew this was smashing and we were right. With many other seed companies copying the strain, we knew we were right. We were not the originator of the strain as originally it came from England. However, we were the first who created the seeds with this strain. From that point it was available for everyone. Stoney Tark