FAST BUDS
LEADERS IN THE WORLD OF AUTFLOWERS
Thousands of autoflowering plant collectors around the world need no introduction to Fast Buds genetics. Chances are you’ve already had the pleasure of having some of their varieties in your collection. Although Fast Buds seeds are familiar to all cannabis lovers, not everyone may know the history of this seed bank. And many will undoubtedly want to know what is behind their huge international success.
THE FAST TRACK TO VICTORY (BUT WITHOUT SHORTCUTS)
When the seedbank founders were just entering the fast and dangerous waters of hemp seeds, they didn’t think too long about the name of their company. The name was a natural fit for them because “FastBuds” captures everything that autoflowers mean to cannabis lovers. In 2010, at the beginning of the company’s history, self-flowerpots were not as popular as they are today. There hadn’t been any breakthroughs in breeding at that time, but one thing about autoflowering plants was as true then as it is today: they were FAST. The very first generation of automatons could complete their life cycle in just 9 weeks. The founders of Fast Buds were among the first to realize what this speed really means for the cannabis seed market. It was not just a novelty, a gimmick or a matter for amateurs and beginners. And while experienced collectors initially scoffed at the autoflowers – because “patience is a virtue” and “good things come to those who wait” – the Fast Buds team bet on speed and won big. They decided to work exclusively with autoflowers and became the largest producer of autoflowers in the world.
THE GREAT TRANSATLANTIC CONNECTION
Another not-so-secret ingredient in Fast Buds’ huge success was a bet on American genetics. When they launched their website in 2012 and introduced their first five autoflowering varieties – Crystal Meth, G14, Mexican Airlines, Northern Express and C4matic – it was clear that it would be hard to compete with all those seed banks from Holland and Spain. Fast Buds, however, quickly found a niche and filled it: it focused on American varieties that were just starting to become known to collectors.
Some of you may remember reading and watching all the news about cannabis dispensaries and recreational shops popping up all over the west coast. Their shelves were filled with shiny jars with new and exotic names like Girl Scout Cookies, Gorilla Glue, Bruce Banner and Blue Dream. There was no need to wax poetic about these names and the dizzying THC levels they promised, because they were mostly “cloned” varieties, and that was the last thing a European grower wanted
But guess what? When Fast Buds decided to set up shop in Spain in 2013, it tried to take all these genetic celebrities with it. In 2015, the company introduced its own version of Girl Scout Cookies. It was feminized, autoflowering, and most importantly, it was in seed form, so 2015 was a breakthrough year for Fast Buds. In 2016, the team took advantage of this success and offered autoflowering seeds of another American legend, Gorilla Glue. Within months, this sticky beast began to dominate the bestseller lists and has since been considered the most profitable autoflowering product of all time.
FROM GARAGE STARTUP TO GLOBAL COMPANY
The founders of Fast Buds, a company reminiscent of Steve Jobs’ first experiments, started with autoflowering experiments in their garage, but soon realised that the best place to build a large breeding facility was Barcelona, Spain.
Their multicultural team of people from the US, UK, Spain, France, Russia, Germany, Italy and Chile worked hard and in 2014 the company signed its first distribution agreements and its seeds appeared in stores across Europe.
In 2015, it was time to meet customers face-to-face. Team Fast Buds participated in their first international cannabis event – Spannabis. After that, their booth became a permanent fixture at the world’s most important cannabis events around the world.
