Proper delves into craft cannabis with new Pheno Hunt boxes

Today, one of Missouri’s highest-rated marijuana cultivation operations, and one of the highest-selling brands in the state, is giving cannabis consumers a sneak peek behind the curtain.

Dropping tomorrow at Proper dispensaries statewide, Proper’s first Pheno Hunt boxes give patients a chance to see what the company has been brewing up in its R&D rooms.

Patients will choose a box featuring one of 11 cultivars. Inside consumers will find three ⅛ jars, each featuring a different phenotype for patients to evaluate, and instructions on how to vote for their favorites.

Boxes will be available in very limited quantities and will retail for $100.

Greenway caught up with Proper COO and Co-Founder, Matt LaBrier, to find out what went into bringing an element of craft cannabis to Missouri’s medical patients.

What inspired you to create the Pheno Hunt boxes?

“We felt we were finally in the right position to start hunting some new genetics. We’ve got a large seed vault, some of which has been collected over a decade plus. We decided it was time to introduce new genetics not just to our library but also breathe some life into the state. We’re seeing a lot of the same strains popping up in the market. We want to push the envelope.”

What went into the creation of the boxes?

“We dedicated an entire grow room for R&D plants, which we’ve never done before,” LaBrier explained. “We had 20 strains with nearly 120 different phenotypes going.”

“Having high quality and unique genetics will always be at the forefront of what we do. We love popping seeds from our favorite breeders, but what we’re really excited about is moving towards in-house breeding,” LaBrier said.

“For some of the strains, we had 10 or 12 phenos running in the room,” LaBrier told Greenway. “Going through a pheno hunt of this size takes a lot of work and diligence from our cultivation and post-harvest staff, but we think it’s worth it and that the market deserves it. These boxes are the fruit of that labor – each one has what we think are the three best phenos.”

“We have our personal favorites, but we’re not just growing for us; we’re growing for the patients of Missouri and their feedback is important to us. We wanted to find a way to get them involved in what we’re growing.”

   

From those 20 cultivars and over 100 phenotypes, Proper whittled the scope and put together the best of the best to create the first Pheno Hunt boxes.

“We’ve got 11 strains in total, ranging from the sweet, aptly named Strawberry Candy to some gas-forward ones like Stank House and Gas Basket,” he said.

Patients will get to select from: 

• Cherry Cosmo (Red Pop x Bakers Dozen) | Exotic Genetix
• Dream Factory (Apples & Bananas x Bakers Dozen) | Exotic Genetix
• Gas Basket (Gary Payton x Bakers Dozen) | Exotic Genetix
• Lemon G x Dosidos 18 | Archive
• MoneyMaker (Jigglers x Bakers Dozen) | Exotic Genetix
• Original Diesel x Dosidos 18 | Archive
• Purple Pineapple (Tropical Runtz x Bakers Dozen) | Exotic Genetix
• Roxanne (Pacoima Kush x Red Runtz) | Exotic Genetix
• Stank House (The Soap x Bakers Dozen) | Exotic Genetix
• Strawberry Bubbles (Mimosa x Strawberry Guava) | Bloom Seed Co.
• Strawberry Candy (Orange Zkittles x Strawberry Guava) | Bloom Seed Co.

What inspired you to hunt these specific genetics from these breeders?

“We recently rolled out a solventless extraction program—that was a big driver for this project. Up until recently, most breeding was not done with hash in mind, and definitely not solventless products. That’s why we popped so many varieties from Bloom, who specifically grow for solventless products. Being able to offer things like Strawberry Candy or Strawberry Bubbles provides some variety to what you normally see in solventless, like GMO.”

Will your in-house breeding feature more user-based pheno-hunts? 

“Absolutely. We value the feedback of the market and want folks to feel engaged and heard. They’re going to be part of the process; it’s a major piece. As far as males go, we’ve got a handful we really like. Some are reversals of our favorite females; some are males we’ve popped from seed,” LaBrier concluded, “We can’t wait to share more.”

The Pheno Hunt begins tomorrow for Missouri cannabis connoisseurs lucky enough to secure the limited drops.

Find out more about Proper and locate your nearest dispensary at www.propercannabis.com

Patrick Waibel contributed to this story.