Paradise Seeds recently disclosed a strategic partnership with Holigram, one of 10 cultivation companies awarded licenses to participate in the Dutch ‘Coffeeshop Experiment’, which is anticipated to start in June this year. The experiment is the first large scale commercial pilot programme in Europe and has the potential to completely reshape the European cannabis landscape.
This collaboration offers customers at more than 80 participating coffee shops the opportunity for a true ‘Made in Holland’ experience. It brings together two stalwarts of the Dutch cannabis industry, both originating in Amsterdam during the early 1990s – Luc Krol, the founder and master breeder of Paradise Seeds, and Jetze de Raad, the founder of Biobizz fertilizer, who has established Holigram.
Paradise Seeds is contributing ‘homegrown’ genetics from the Netherlands. Among more than 20 strains intending to be cultivated by Holigram will be award-winning blockbusters like Dutch Dragon and Wappa, along with fresh on-trend varieties developed with Californian genetics, such as Gulupa and Chocolate Wafflez. Holigram will cultivate these strains in an advanced 8000m² production facility with a focus on producing high-quality, 100% organic cannabis.
The Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment, to use its official name, addresses the perennial challenge of the ‘back door’ supply chain in Dutch coffeeshops. Despite common perception, cannabis is not fully legal in the Netherlands but rather tolerated. Traditionally, authorities turned a blind eye to the mysterious sourcing of supplies by coffeeshops, resulting in an unregulated market.
In the experiment, the Dutch government has awarded licenses to 10 Licensed Producers (LPs) as official suppliers to over 80 coffeeshops in 11 trial municipalities across the country. These LPs are authorized to produce and sell cannabis flower, hash, pre-rolled joints, and edibles. Customers at coffeeshops will benefit from the assurance of consuming high-quality cannabis products, subjected to testing in government-approved labs for contaminants, cannabinoid, and terpene content.
Paradise Seeds Founder and CEO Luc Krol says he is thrilled that such a broad catalogue of Paradise strains will be available officially to customers in Holland. Patrick Stevens, Head of Sales at Holigram, characterizes the partnership as a convergence of two pivotal players in the history of the Dutch cannabis industry. With three decades of groundbreaking contributions, Jetze and Luc have played instrumental roles in transforming the cannabis landscape in the Netherlands and beyond. The collaboration is seen as a fitting culmination
of their shared history.