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In the early 2000s, that golden age of Proposition 215 cannabis in California, Mario \u201cMr. Sherbinski\u201d Guzman was a regular supplier for San Francisco\u2019s legendary Vapor Room. Back then, nobody had heard the name Sherbinski and the notion of a cannabis brand was still an abstraction. Today, nearly two decades later, his company Sherbinskis is on the short list of still-relevant adult-use brands with uninterrupted roots in California\u2019s self-regulated 215 market.<\/p>\n
But before Sherbinski\u2019s cannabis was getting\u00a0name-dropped in rap hits<\/a>\u00a0and sold through\u00a0fancy department<\/a>\u00a0stores, Afgoo cold water hash washed from Sherbinski bud by the man himself was a menu staple at the\u00a0Vapor Room<\/a>, and a crucial part of my daily routine. For years, the best part of waking up was smoking a bowl of chocolate-black bubble hash with a cup of tar-black coffee on a rickety fire escape overlooking the intersection of Oak and Fillmore streets.<\/p>\n I\u2019m thinking about this memory as I catch myself staring dreamily out the storefront window of a greasy spoon breakfast joint in East Oakland, clutching a white ceramic cup of hot black coffee at a rickety two-top table by the door. I\u2019m waiting for Sherbinski \u2014 he\u2019s a few minutes late, I\u2019m a few minutes early \u2014 and draining my third cup of coffee, the caffeine from the first two cups already waltzing wildly with the cannabinoids from my morning dab. I\u2019m eagerly eavesdropping on a couple arguing a few tables down when\u00a0Sherbinski<\/a>\u00a0blows through the swinging doors like a Wild West sheriff, radiating the casual swagger of a resident DJ at that nightclub you aren\u2019t cool enough to even stand in line for.<\/p>\n Despite a powerful too cool for school aura, Sherbinski also exudes a sincere humility that falls just short of self-deprecation when he speaks about the success of his work, particularly the way his\u00a0Gelato phenotypes<\/a>\u00a0have become a touchstone and status symbol for rappers and other tastemakers with a taste for top shelf sh*t.<\/p>\n To hear him tell it, Gelato is just one of those special strains that inspires fanatical devotion in some people, and through a convergence of geography, personal connections and work ethic, some of those people are top-selling music artists and fashion influencers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just took a lot of work and white-glove service when it came to providing our products,\u201d Sherbinski told me. \u201cI never had to give a lot of product away, I was just in the right place.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the bay, a lot of musicians come through here and we\u2019d get the call when they were in the studio and we\u2019d be there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was always really natural and organic. When artists are in the studio and naturally enjoying the product they\u2019re smoking, it\u2019s gonna organically end up in the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n Although he\u2019s entering a new stage of his career, he said he has come to truly appreciate the experience of watching the Gelato strain grow into a household name.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it was the songs. You hear one on the radio and one song becomes five and then ten becomes twenty and now it\u2019s pretty common to hear it \u2014 just a few weeks ago, Travis Scott and Future came out with a song talking about Gelato in there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to feel like Gelato is cemented into our culture and I embrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n Coming across as humble is uncommon enough for any successful businessperson, but particularly unusual given the dizzying heights of tangible success Sherbinski has reached in an industry where even the illusion of achievement is often enough to elicit flashy self-celebration. But through our whole conversation, he seems to regard his career as a beautiful blur of serendipity, largely propelled by his desire to promote access and education in the early days of San Francisco\u2019s golden age of cannabis.<\/p>\n \u201cI stuck my neck out way before people were doing it and said, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m a grower,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201c[But] when you have people come to you and say, \u2018Your product helped me with my ailment \u2014 these flowers are my favorite, they help with my PTSD \u2014 how can you not be humbled by that?\u201d<\/p>\n With Prop 215 as we knew it all but a hazy memory now, Sherbinski sits at the nexus of a hectic whirlwind familiar to anyone who\u2019s spent any time around entrepreneurs. The persistent beeping and buzzing of his cell phone provides a steady backdrop to our conversation, and he is undoubtedly \u201cin demand,\u201d but his personal energy is almost meditative, like he\u2019s floating above it all, soaking it in and easing gently into what\u2019s shaping into a lucrative second act.<\/p>\n Part of what sets Sherbinski apart from most other growers and breeders I\u2019ve spoken to is his laissez faire approach to phenotype selection. Where most breeders are hunting a single white whale, he\u2019s curating a menagerie of sensations and flavors \u2014 variations on a shared theme \u2014 like the four first-gen Gelato phenos that made the final cut: Acaiberry (Gelato pheno #49), Mochi (#47), Bacio (#41) and Gello.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gelato has gotten so famous, and what I did \u2014 which I didn\u2019t see a lot of people do before \u2014 I didn\u2019t just pick the best pheno,\u201d he said. \u201cI was like, \u2018No, all these phenos are awesome and they all do different things.\u2019 It\u2019s not that different from two models having kids \u2014 each kid is probably going to be fire, so how do you pick out of that? That\u2019s kind of how I look at selection.\u201d<\/p>\n That inclusive approach to pheno hunting is still a central thrust of Sherbinski\u2019s latest genetic quest, but these days he has more space to work with and more data to draw on when making selections.<\/p>\n \u201cWe pared down our final selections to 100 plants. From there, we pared the selections down to 30. We grew those out and tested them for a full terpene and potency profile. I use science to help me select the right pants,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t just be like, \u2018That\u2019s so frosty and has big nugs and tastes good, I want that,\u2019 and then it\u2019s pulling 16 percent [THC] consistently. Sometimes something isn\u2019t looking that good, but it\u2019s testing 27 percent first round test, or there\u2019s some terpene in there that\u2019s just like, \u2018Oh my god.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Gelato is about to go global. Through a collaboration with\u00a0Dinafem<\/a>, a seed bank based in Barcelona, Spain, Sherbinski is releasing first-generation Gelato seeds to more than 50 countries. While the Sherbinski legacy has deep roots in San Francisco\u2019s Sunset District, he said he\u2019s interested in making moves wherever he sees a smart one. It\u2019s a philosophy that\u2019s spreading his work worldwide, but it\u2019s also led him just a few hours north, to the world-famous Emerald Triangle, where his partners at the\u00a0Humboldt Seed Organization<\/a>\u00a0are based.<\/p>\n Because, in addition to releasing females from the first generation of Gelato phenos, he\u2019s going to be producing new generations using HSO genetics, a process that\u2019s already produced promising results. I haven\u2019t yet tried the next generation of official Gelato crosses, but given the wide scope of the pheno hunt that produced them \u2014 roughly 3,000 seeds \u2014 and the prestigious lineage of the new genetic material used, I\u2019m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to taste the new flavors.<\/p>\n \u201cI took a Mandlebrot OG clone that HSO provided and that male went back to all of my original genetics, and I selected about five new phenos from a roughly 3,000-seed pheno hunt,\u201d he said, adding that he\u2019s never used so many precise metrics to select winners.<\/p>\n \u201cI boiled it down to about 40 keepers out of the new generation and tested them all for terpene profile and potency, then took portraits to look at the bag appeal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve used all those data points to select.\u201d<\/p>\n The HSO collaboration is truly exciting for Sherbinski, who sees it as a way to share his genetics so people can actually grow from them, albeit on a release schedule that allows him the first crack at his own work.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the other people who have used Gelato, that\u2019s either a bag seed or cuts I never really used, like the #33 and the #45, which were basically just throwaways for me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve never done any projects with anyone \u2014 they might have bag seed: It was either stolen or a bag seed.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to people bootlegging his genetics through stray seeds and stolen cuts, there\u2019s also the time-honored cannabis industry tradition of tacking a trendy prefix or suffix on last year\u2019s strain. Thanks to the popularity of Sherbinski\u2019s Sunset Sherbert and Gelato strains, we\u2019ve seen a whole lot of Orangelato, Tangelato, Sherbtane, SherbWreck or, of course, Sherblato \u2014 but they\u2019re all fugazi. Sherbinski didn\u2019t collab on any of them, despite numerous false claims to the contrary.<\/p>\n He said the scammers used to get to him, but over time he\u2019s learned to accept all of the bootleggers and bullsh*tters as the cost one pays to be the boss.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of getting mad that someone found a bag seed and has a ten-light grow and is selling my shit, I look at it like, \u2018Hey man, I\u2019m glad you can get $400 more per pound on your shit.\u2019 It\u2019s not gonna f*cking stop me from making money,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you live in fear, that\u2019s how you act like that six-light grow is gonna kill you or take you out the game, and it\u2019s all out of fear, man. I just chose to not live that way.\u201d<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s completely given up on protecting his intellectual property.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a new strain. I don\u2019t want to announce the male yet because I know that people might possibly have it and\u2026\u201d he smiles. \u201cYou know how people are. Next thing you know, before I even drop it, they\u2019ll be selling the seeds.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his recent success, Sherbinski is struggling through the growing pains of California\u2019s adult-use market with everyone else. However, his view of the new stage cannabis is entering contrasts sharply with the frustration and pessimism of many long-time industry participants. He\u2019s acutely aware of the challenges presented by the new regulations, but from where he\u2019s sitting, some of the more virulent detractors of those new rules are growers feeling left out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I see? Most of my OG homies who were like \u2018naw naw naw\u2019 [about pursuing licensing] and never wanted to go in that direction, they\u2019re feeling it right now. They regret not making bigger moves earlier to be farther along now,\u201d he said, adding that it\u2019s particularly difficult to swallow for guys who stayed underground only to watch smaller or less accomplished cultivators come into a big investment.<\/p>\n \u201cThey see everything moving now \u2014 see these people that were a fraction of what they were or could have been selling companies for millions of dollars,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, how\u2019s that gonna make people feel? They\u2019re like, \u2018Little Billy over there had the f*cking Banana Skunk and this other sh*t that no one cared about\u2019 but now he\u2019s the business.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s an uncommon sentiment at a time when running a legal cannabis company can feel like navigating a narrow mountain ridge with steep drops on either side. To your left, there\u2019s braving the legal uncertainty, volatility and danger of the illicit market. To your right, the very real possibility of hemorrhaging all your capital and then some before you ever make a dime \u2014 maybe before you even make it to market.<\/p>\n But as cannabis continues its transformation into a commodity, Sherbinski believes basic business skills are going to be rewarded as much (if not more) than more subjective factors that were previously make or break, like product quality and an established reputation within \u201cthe culture\u201d \u2014 ironically two of the main factors in his own rise to prominence.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many dispensaries do you see now that are popping up out of nowhere and nobody knows these guys? But they\u2019re cranking \u2014 why? They know how to run a biz. They know how to sell it,\u201d he said. \u201cHow much is \u2018clout\u2019 gonna matter when cannabis is commoditized? But I do see that people are attracted to the brand \u2014 they still need brands.\u201d<\/p>\n But selling high quality cannabis is obviously a big part of Sherbinski\u2019s brand identity and an enduring feature of his business model. A collaboration with ultra-chic cannabis brand Beboe means an exclusive Sherbinskis blend will be gracing the shelves of luxury retailer Barneys, at their Beverly Hills tragicomically hip head shop, The High End \u2014 right next to the $1,000 bongs and $2,000 grinders. (Because Barneys Beverly Hills does not have a dispensary license, THC products at their store are delivered later by a licensed cannabis delivery business.)<\/p>\n Sherbinski is no stranger to the intersection of high fashion and streetwear. He already made a splash with his Sherbinskis Air Force One sneaker (which sold out in a couple hours) and cites Virgil Abloh, the artistic director for Louis Vuitton\u2019s menswear line and founder of the Off-White label, as a major inspiration for his approach to branding. With his own club slated to open blocks from the Supreme store and the Barneys collab under his belt, Sherbinski is definitely breaking new ground for the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n And just as Sherbinski is braving the stormy seas of a shifting cannabis landscape, Barneys is navigating the perils of being a luxury retail chain in a down market. In August, the company announced it was downsizing its New York flagship in the face of a $33 million rent bill. Their move into the cannabis sphere is a bold one that could be a game changer, and for Sherbinski, it\u2019s the same. The collaboration makes perfect sense: There were already a couple high end dispensaries calling themselves the \u201cBarneys of bud,\u201d so why not get in the game, and why not team up with weed\u2019s Louis Vuitton?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be defining something for Beboe \u2014 it\u2019s much different than what I\u2019m used to, which is highest potency, strongest terpene profile, which is what I brought to them first, but it wasn\u2019t right for them and the Barneys brand,\u201d he said. \u201cThey wanted a blend that had high CBD with a sativa dominant, so I came up with the Beboe Blend by Sherbinski. That\u2019s what I\u2019m moving into, finding genetics for different brands that want effects that cater to their distinct market.\u201d<\/p>\n Sherbinski feels he\u2019s been privileged with the opportunity to make an impact on cannabis \u2014 something he cares about deeply \u2014 and now he wants to preserve his contributions.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m getting older, and in the end, you want to leave a legacy behind and something like what\u2019s happened with Gelato is so special,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re younger, it\u2019s about being cool and hanging out with artists, but when you get older and you\u2019ve been to the parties and experienced all that, you\u2019re like, \u2018What do I want to do now?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n When he finally got around to asking himself that question, the answer was clear: share Gelato with the bud lovers of tomorrow.\u201cI want to get future generations the original, so when they ask why was it so special they can get a real answer \u2014 you\u2019re going to be able to experience exactly why for generations to come,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself an expert breeder\u2026 I\u2019m not the best, I\u2019m just a regular dude, right place, right time; SF Sunset District, early 2000s, happened to meet the right people and we made magic.\u201d <\/p>\n TELL US<\/strong>, have you tried Sherbinskis?<\/p>\n Originally published in Issue 40 of Cannabis Now.\u00a0LEARN MORE<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n The post On the High End<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In the early 2000s, that golden age of Proposition 215 cannabis in California, Mario \u201cMr. Sherbinski\u201d Guzman was a regular supplier for San Francisco\u2019s legendary Vapor Room. Back then, nobody had heard the name Sherbinski and the notion of a cannabis brand was still an abstraction. Today, nearly two decadesContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":41774,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[148,50,5,309,85,12916,12536,9549],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41773"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41775,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41773\/revisions\/41775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/sherbinskis@2x-1024x614.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nA Different Breed<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/sherbinksis4.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nCollaborative Crosses<\/h4>\n
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<\/figure>\nClout vs. Commodity<\/h4>\n
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Leaving a Legacy<\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: On the High End<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"