What Makes a Cannabis Strain Stand Out?

Growing In, Weeding Out

• Selective breeding is just as much about identifying ideal genotypes and phenotypes as it is about isolating the unwanted ones. That’s why all the best modern strains begin with a strain plan.

• • Set a tentative goal: Draw up a profile for the best-case scenario—its THC or CBD content as well as its terpene profile (flavor, smell, and more). What will this strain provide consumers? What gap does it fill in your menu of strains and products? Will it be sold as flower, in edibles, or as an ingredient in processed goods?
  • Research competitors: What strains on the market already do all or most of what you’re setting out to do? How will your strain differentiate itself?
  • Refine your goal: Which traits under your goal would you sacrifice to simplify the breeding plan? Which are integral to the concept? Which traits would be difficult to breed given the constraints of the growing environment?

Considering Your Operations

While consumer interests should direct the search for the next strain that’s going to take the world by storm, growers should always design strains that comport with their grow operation.

From seed or clone to point of sale, commercial cannabis is an agribusiness. When developing the next great strain, look for ways to align what you’re growing with how you grow, or for deviations that optimize the process.

So what does that look like in practice? Consider Blue Dream, one of the most popular low-maintenance hybrid cannabis strains on the market today. It grows quickly, yields plentifully, and is forgiving for first-time growers who might mess up their watering schedule or nutrient recipe. As such, Blue Dream is a crowd-pleasing, reliable mainstay.

Don’t forget to include your efficiency targets in your strain plans, and seek out strain profiles that do more than add a single new item to your menu.

Marketing Intelligently

• Focus on the Product

• Think back to your reasons for designing your unique strain in the first place:

• • Was it to marry two popular strains and achieve the best of both worlds?
  • Was it to focus on combining two highly sought-after phenotypes to produce a strain that served customers a special kind of high?
  • Were you seeking out a specific color, flavor, or smell?
  • Was there inspiration for this strain beyond cannabis horticulture, such as fine arts, music, culture, history?

• Focus on the Brand

• In creating this new strain, how are you expanding your catalog of products for your typical brand loyalist?

• • Are you filling a gap in your offerings, answering the call of your customers for something special?
  • Are you continuing to deliver strains that satisfy your discrete corner of the market, whatever it might be?
  • Are you coming to the rescue with a strain that delivers something none of your competitors can or have?

• If played right, a unique strain is an opportunity to reinforce who you are in a saturated market or even reimagine yourself.

• Focus on the Customer

• Customers, regardless of what they’re shopping for, will seek out a personalized product. They want goods that speak to their personality, their lived experiences, and who they aspire to be. In that regard, cannabis products are no different than clothing, electronics, or other packaged goods.

• Who is most likely to buy or not buy your latest strain? How will you market it to a specific individual? Consider everything from the language you use to describe its effects or characteristics, to the media you use to deliver the message.