It’s official, Maine Trees is in Los Angeles!
What Is Maine Trees? A Mecca For Craft Cannabis
The cannabis brand was originally founded 10 years ago on the East Coast up in Maine, which makes perfect sense given the name. The brainchild of Jesse Jordan (Maine Trees) and Mike Barris (B's Trees), the two cannabis connoisseurs had one goal in mind: create a mecca for craft indoor cultivation.
The result? You guessed it: High quality weed that not only tastes good, but smokes even better.
Maine Trees, Greenwolf And Astor Club Los Angeles Bring Blue Lobster Strain To The West Coast
Most recently, Maine Trees teamed up with Greenwolf and The Astor Club L.A. to debut their newest strain called Blue Lobster, here on the West Coast. An all-day and night celebration featured Blue Lobster at Greenwolf Bellflower and Los Feliz from early in the morning, tacos by Astor Club at both Greenwolf locations in the afternoon, and an exclusive industry meet-and-greet at Astor Club in the evening.
The California drop of Blue Lobster is a Maine Trees collaboration with Cipher Genetics and Umma. Earlier this year in April, the guys took it down to New York for the Zalympix, winning three trophies: Best Terps, Gassiest Flower and Second Place Overall. It’s been explosive ever since!
How Did Maine Trees' Jesse Jordan Start In Cannabis Cultivation?
Head Cultivator Jesse Jordan states, “I'm a generational grower, so to speak. I had a father who was growing years ago in the 90s with my uncle. I grew up around him. Although he never taught me how to do anything, I understood what he was up to and what he was doing.”
Once Jordan reached his teenage years, he and his friend started experimenting with growing outside.
“After every summer going outside, the medical market came online,” Jordan explains. “Started growing in a tent in my apartment because I was a stay-at-home dad. But I knew enough from outside going [to] inside that I was able to grow some pretty decent product. People were immediately lining up for my first crop that came out of a 4x4. I was able to continue to build and learn from my mistakes, and continue to grow great weed.”
Where Did The Maine Trees Brand Come From?
At the end of the day, Jordan is a connoisseur first, similar to his business partner Mike Barris. They say they're like sommeliers who grow the grapes, bottle the wine and bring it to market — because they care that much about flavors.
Mike Barris, who handles sales for both the B’s Trees and Maine Trees brands, states “When we started, I was cultivating and Jesse was cultivating at separate facilities. We grew up together. We’ve known each other since we were 10, 11 years old. He was doing his thing in the cannabis industry, I was doing mine. We combined forces. He left the facility he was at; he came over and started to help cultivate with me. It’s wild how it happened. From there, we had dreams and aspirations of getting into a bigger facility, go nationwide.”
Soon, Jordan and Barris had the opportunity to purchase a larger facility in Maine, which was 20 to 30 minutes away from where they were cultivating. After meeting their new partners, Owen Ruh, Seth Kramer and Niklas Caner-Medley, it was the discovery of Blue Lobster and all its branding that proved to be a pivotal moment for everyone involved.
Why Is Maine Trees' Blue Lobster A Unique Cannabis Strain?
Jordan explains, “Blue Lobster is a strain originally bred by [visionary breeder and Cipher Genetics CEO] Chris Lynch. The original name was Facade, which is Apples and Bananas crossed [with] Eye Candy (Apples and Bananas x Eye Candy). It was so unique compared to all the other phenos in the hunt. We knew it deserved its own moniker and deemed it Blue Lobster to mimic the scarcity around finding a blue lobster in nature; one in two million to be exact. It’s just as rare to find a cut of this caliber.”
The strain itself is more of an Indica leaning hybrid, which Jordan deems a 60/40. In addition to the spectacular flower in the building, the event was the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded individuals in the cannabis space. Tacos were provided by Astor Club, along with their specifically curated vibe to mingle, chat, and network.
Both Jordan and Barris currently run the medical market in Maine, and plan to go into the adult use market soon. Jordan states, “At the end of the day, it's not an East Coast, West Coast market. It's one market filled with cannabis users who appreciate high quality flower and craft culture. LA is part of that, just like New York and especially Maine.”
What's Next For Maine Trees?
Barris leaves us with these last words. “A lot more heat coming, that's for sure,” he states. “We have some partnerships that we'll be talking about, obviously with the drop in California with Umma and Cipher Genetics. We have a lot more coming with Cipher Genetics. We have our own genetic program as well. A lot of stuff coming down the line.
For more about Maine Trees, follow @bigmainetrees on Instagram.
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Written By:
Shirley Ju is a journalist, media host, and seasoned music industry professional. She is the founder of Shirley's Temple, a podcast series with a focus on mental health, where her guests include Trippie Redd, Chanel West Coast, Ricky Williams, Blac Chyna, and more. Shirley's work has been featured in publications such as Variety, Complex, Nylon, Flaunt, and REVOLT; she can also be seen doing exclusive interviews for leading urban news source VLADTV, featuring a platform with 5 million subscribers. Find out more about Shirley at @shirju on Instagram and Twitter, and on LinkedIn.
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Featured image: Promotional art for Blue Lobster (C) Maine Trees / Greenwolf
