to be a weekly occurrence at VIBE , between CEO Jonathan Milo , Max Platt , director of solventless , Rob Dunse II , director of hydrocarbon , and Wills .
VIBE has 3,000 square feet of canopy space with over 18 % of it dedicated to pheno-hunt research and development .
At VIBE ’ s MIP facility , wearing their trophy belts for winning Best Rosin and Best BHO for Liquid Sunshine and Mississippi Nights in recent Cannabis Cult Competitions are ( left to right ): Hayden Jacobsmeyer , solventless extraction manager ; Max Platt , director of solventless ( with belt ); Rob Dunse II , director of hydrocarbon ( with belt ), holding Jay Wills , founder of Tree1Four Genetics and head of genetics for VIBE .
“ The reason the letters of VIBE are capitalized is to represent the equal importance of each team member to produce craft cannabis ,” explained Milo as if it is the part of the brand he is most proud of . While Milo ran the meeting , navigating us through mind-numbing Excel charts containing years of collected data , it was easy to see the analytical background and team-building leadership that put him in charge of VIBE ’ s ship . “ When I met Wills in October of 22 , almost all the licensed cultivators were getting genetics from everywhere but Missouri ,” said Milo . “ We wanted to collaborate with legacy breeders at home and combine their intellectual property with our growth as a company .” Before there were even plants in its facility , building its roots locally by pheno-hunting locally was always the goal for VIBE ’ s long-term success , but “ finding 20 forever strains is like finding a needle in a haystack ,” explained Milo .
Team members Nick McGinley ( on left ) and Jay Wills enjoy pheno hunting at the VIBE MIP facility .
Except for maybe two or three other licensed groups in Missouri , there aren ’ t many that compare to the amount of pheno-hunting that has been done and is currently going on at the VIBE facility , with over 18 % of its allotted 3,000 square feet of canopy space dedicated to research and development . Instead of using this space to grow wellknown strains of flower from other states that can easily be flipped for a profit like many of the other licensed cultivators are doing , VIBE is taking more upfront risks in exchange for its investment to be one of the leading pheno-hunting licensed groups in Missouri .
“ Since live rosin is considered the fillet mignon of cannabis products , and you can ’ t extract gold out of trash flower , this is where we actually begin our pheno search ,” explained Milo . “ We really work our way backward from the most revealing and hardest product to perfect , live resin , to decide what phenos we want to be our forever strains .”
VIBE team members Jaylon Petty ( front / center ) with ( left to right ): Tara Sigrist , Stephan Gott , and Jay Wills obviously enjoy working at the VIBE MIP facility .
The process of finding these forever strains is a daunting task of time . In the last three years of pheno-hunting , VIBE has only found five forever strains ( Chem Reserve , Gillatto , Mississippi Nights , Gastro Pop , and Liquid Sunshine ). It is always finding more and more new ones that are getting closer and closer to making the cut . In fact , next year , 40 % of its genetics will all be new ones , pheno-hunted with three years of research , development , and planning .
On top of leading the local pheno-hunt race for VIBE , Wills and Beau Bradley with GrowActive Solutions are preparing for their third year of hosting St . Louis ’ s Free Seed Day and Head Stash Bowl “ Mo Luv ” on March 14th and 15th in St . Louis , MO . The event is free to the public ( learn more about Free Seed Day on page 10 ). Besides giving away free seeds from local and national pheno breeders , hunters , and growers , Wills event also hopes that with Missouri ’ s licensed growers and producers ’ sponsorship support , the event will help bridge the “ MO Love ” gap between cannabis ’ s villains and heroes depending on from which side of the fence you should or shouldn ’ t be judging .
For more information on VIBE ’ s pheno-hunts and availabilities , visit https :// vibecanna . com .
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