Jimi DevineSerge Damirdjian has been a player in the Los Angeles scene for over a decade, and after grows, dispensaries, hydro shops and hit flower lines he’s partnered on in the past, today he drops his official line, Serge Cannabis.
Some of the most notable things he’s been affiliated with over the years have included Cookies Maywood and Fiore. Both are known for their great flowers. Ahead of the pop-up this afternoon, he broke down the new direction.
A few months ago, as he continued to watch companies expand nationwide, he knew he wanted to keep it more grassroots and for the culture. It was time to get the ball rolling for his brand. But how will he balance not wanting to miss out on this moment in cannabis and the culture he doesn’t want to betray?
“I think it’s tough. You gotta find partners that share the same vision with you. And nowadays, it’s kind of hard because once a brand gets traction and people get a bigger vision, they want to build real quick and it just doesn’t happen organically,” Damirdjian said.
Rapid scaling leads to more partners. The more partners you bring in, the less likely you are to see eye to eye with all of them.
“And not everybody shares the vision. So I think it’s a balancing act,” “Damirdjian said. “I love the plant. I love the culture. I’m deeply rooted, and I got a deep passion like a connoisseur of the plant.”
That passion has led to him breeding with friends and then digging through the genetics. Creating new flavors is now the backbone of his own enthusiasm in these dark times for the marketplace.
“That’s my driving force and stuff, and sometimes I have a hard time aligning that with the big business side of things,” Damirdjian said. “But you know, I think it’s a juggling act, just trying to protect myself.”
But so far so good, today’s launch in collaboration with his brothers’ brands All Gas No Brakes and Fidel’s is the talk of the town. We asked how it felt to have the Serge Cannabis line kick off with the wind in its sails, compared to companies that might come out the gate a bit slower?
“It means the world to me,” he replied. “I think a lot of work goes into what we do and a lot of the culture people really understand that it takes time to bring something to the table. I’m just happy to share that with everybody.”
Blackberry Gary
Blackberry Gary
Recent weeks have seen much controversy in the genetics world. While most breeders have never been to Afghanistan or equatorial cannabis producing zones to acquire seeds, they get protective of their work. Damirdjian will drop the Blackberry Gary today, made from the famed Powerzzzup Gary Payton being paired with a Sunset Sherbert x Zkittlez Bx2.
We asked him what the balancing point is when something becomes someone else’s work? He argued it takes a few generations before you can call it your own. He also gave a big thanks to the Powerzzzup team. It’s no surprise, the San Francisco-based Powerzzzup team has been supportive of the Blackberry Gary compared to some less authorized recent work with Gary Payton.
The Blackberry Gary winning pheno was hunted from 400 seeds. Four survivors would make it to the second round, but some of the mother plants weren’t as sturdy. The Serge Cannabis team is now in the sixth week of flower on the second hunt of 400 seeds.
Family Business
Serge’s younger brother Shant “Fidel Hydro” Damirdjian is excited to see his sibling in the spotlight after watching him being spread thin over many brands in recent years. He’s excited the time is right to work with both his brothers. We covered Fidel’s nickname and adventures in launching his Barcelona-inspired hash hole line in our 710 issue.
“We’re just kind of coming to the time, we’ve been waiting and waiting, to just debut everything and showcase everything together,” the younger Damirdjian said. “And now, we can kind of move as a unit, me and my two brothers. We’re blood brothers. They really did it for me. And now we’re at a time where people kind of got their eyes on us in some sense.”
Fidel argues those eyes finding their way to the trio naturally because of their dedication to the flower, makes the resulting enthusiasm as organic as it gets.
Serge flanked by his brothers Fidel on the left and Aram on the right.
Fidel went on to explain how it all eventually came together after originally returning to Los Angeles from Beirut and working in both his brothers’ grow shop at age 18; he’s now 30.
“We’re kind of just waiting for Serge to be honest with you,” Fidel said. “As much as he led the way, he’s so selfless and picked up so many other brands. He didn’t focus to himself. Now he has organically bred some cultivars that are especially nuts.”
Fidel called the Blackberry Gary something you could really stick your chest out about.
Today’s strain premier will take place at 6685 Hollywood Blvd., in Los Angeles, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Sunset Sherbery x Zkittelz Bx2 used to create the Blackberry Gary also will be on display. No tickets are needed.
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