The Future of Genetics: Future Genetix
How did you get into this industry?
Cannabis and farming are both in my blood. Our farm was started in 1986 and my grandfather showed me my first hydroponics system at age 13 and I was hooked. We got into the seed industry because we wanted to hold onto some of the original plants we were already growing. Once our gardens started to expand, so did our seed production.
When and where did Future Genetix begin?
Future Genetix germinated from our search for “the perfect plant” in our own medical gardens. We were already working with dozens of cultivars and growers who had grown just about every “old school classic” plant out there. We realized we needed to produce the seeds to hold these beautiful girls for the next generation of growers. Friends quickly started asking for us to produce exotics and our flavors became more complex and unique. Word of mouth was the best form of marketing for us; people started looking for our genetics from all corners of the universe and Future Genetix was born.
What were the start-up years like?
The start-up years were amazing! It was during this time that we put together our
all-star team. We built almost every grow system commercially available as we wanted to compare techniques and find what worked best for us in our gardens. This led to us being better growers — giving us a complete grasp of the techniques and systems available.
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But it was discovering new, unique strains that was the most exciting in the beginning. We started putting our favorites away into the tissue culture fridge and focusing on longevity. Knowing you have something worth holding onto is a good feeling and will always be a part of our legacy in the cannabis community. The best part of doing what we do is the positive feedback from the people and patients growing our creations.
How many people were employed at Future Genetix at the beginning? What were their roles?
We have 10 members of our team including myself. Our grow team has been working for years and we put together an all-star marketing team. It was just a compilation of the resources we already had. Once we started being more selective in our breeding programs, we started working with larger laboratories to get a better idea of our genetics. Now we have a large team of media influencers and marketing staff working full time. So, the future is looking bright as we grow each day.
What did you first produce?
We have always produced top-shelf bud, but our first production of seeds would have been in 2015. It was a Banana “Trix” cutting we got from a fellow grower and crossed with some Afghan Kush we were holding onto for a special occasion. We still have some of those original seeds in our vault. Pretty soon after that, we started getting serious about doing larger batches for the masses and soon had more than enough to share.
What were some of your struggles as you started the business? How did you overcome them?
Our biggest struggle was finding a safe and gentle way of sorting our seeds. Most of the commercial hemp seed sorting equipment is pretty aggressive and damages the seeds. We now use an automatic seed sorter, but even high-end equipment often has failure points. So, after the seeds are graded by our computer eye, we also have a team of people hand pick every seed on a mild UV light table. You won’t find any white or deformed seeds in our packages! But just in case one slips through, we’ll replace it — no questions asked.
Has Future Genetix moved or expanded since the beginning?
We are expanding our operation almost daily — growing is not a business; it is a way of life. We are constantly looking into the newest lighting technology and testing new genetics on a weekly basis. Right now, our focus is testing the seeds to make sure their genetic information lines up with the strain name they are given.
Currently, we are trying to source some quality seeds from the Afghan/Pakistan Hindu Kush mountain ranges to compare with what is on the market today.
What is your current product line?
Right now, we have some really interesting products hitting the public market. We have what I would call a full palate of flavors in our current product line. I’m proudest of our Pink Punch 2.0. It has a beautiful stacked cola that gets some interesting color later in flower. I’m also working with some incredible CBD genetics, but more research needs to be done on stabilizing them. We also have some autoflowers with really amazing characteristics.
What makes Future Genetix different from other seed companies.
First, we are incredibly passionate about what we do. But if you want the details: we have strayed from the “norm” of just taking good breeding stock and hitting it with STS sprays to make a feminized seed. We currently have around 140 tissue cultures in our fridge of various terpene profiles. Once we have run DNA testing, we can get a real visualization of its characteristics before we head into breeding programs.
Read also: Seed Sense: Finding and Buying Viable Seeds
Once we have selected our mother plants, we then run each batch of genetics four times. So, each project takes time. In fact, they could easily take a year. This means not only are you getting some of hottest genetics on the market today, you are also getting them in a stabilized uniform seed. That can be used for large-scale production from day one.
Why did you start doing the research you’re working on now?
We were searching for the perfect plant. People often ask for indica or sativa qualities in their seeds. What if we could get a uniform terpene and chemical profile across the board in one genetic? Would it provide a complete range of health benefits? Would it be a symphony of flavors or too many for the palate? We love the plants we grow but there is always that questions of “why” or just as importantly “why not?”
I guess it’s the questions that we don’t know the answers to that drive us to continue doing what we do, which is bringing out-of-this-world genetics to our fans.
Where do you distribute?
Our biggest market is in Canada right now. It seems with everything going on in the world today, people have started to produce more locally. We are also working with distributors in several other countries to bring our genetics abroad. For the most up to date list I would just check our social media @FutureGenetix or our website futuregenetix.com.
What makes your employees so awesome? How does your team bond?
We have some of the most passionate growers I have ever met. Everyone works together like a perfect machine. Combined, we have years of knowledge and a great, strong leadership team. Our greatest bonding adventures take place around a lot of great weed (that we grow ourselves) and a couple nice Heady Glass pieces.
I honestly can’t thank them enough for the hard work and dedication over the years! Love you guys and gals!
Does your Future Genetix participate in any community service?
We donate quite a bit to several events each year. Most people in the OG cannabis community know who we are and when they are looking for donations for a good cause, we are always available to help out.
We also help run the only free grow seminar in Ontario every Wednesday night at Grow-Op Hydroponics located at 1332 Bloor St. West. Our mission is to teach everyone how to grow their own weed. It’s a skill we strongly believe each person should possess. We have around 60 students, everyone gets a chance to learn together and really get their hands dirty. It really is a beautiful community of people. The class slogan is “let’s plant it and grow it, so we can light it and smoke it!” That, in our opinion, is why everyone wants to grow!
