Every strain you love started as a seed. Inside each seed lives a world of possibilities—flavors, aromas, effects, colors, and structures just waiting to express themselves. But not all seeds are created equal. Even when two seeds share the same parents, they can grow into wildly different plants.

That’s where the pheno hunt comes in.

What Is A Pheno Hunt?

A pheno hunt (short for phenotype hunt) is the process of of discovering the best expression of a genetic cross. Breeders and cultivators look for plants that express the best combination of traits—such as structure, yield, potency, terpene profile, trichome production, and effect. The goal is to find the unique phenotypes that best represent or improve upon the breeder’s intentions before bringing it to the public. It’s a mix of science and art: collecting agronomic data, making observations, and testing effects, while also relying on intuition and experience. It is all about quality, consistency, and making sure what we are offering consumers is truly special.

Think of it like siblings who share DNA but have different hair colors or personalities. In cannabis, those differences show up as variations in aroma, structure, potency, color, and even how the plant grows.

How Does A Pheno Hunt Work?

A pheno hunt can take months, often over a year. Here’s a quick look at what happens along the way:

Why It Matters... And Why It's Worth The Wait.

Pheno hunts are slow, meticulous, and expensive—but they’re also where the magic happens. It’s how innovation stays alive in cannabis. Every new strain you fall in love with started as someone’s hunt, a commitment to finding that perfect expression hidden in the genetics.

When you pick up a Proper jar, you’re holding the result of countless decisions made by breeders and cultivators who are obsessed with excellence. Pheno hunting is how we find the one—the plant that checks every box. The one that smells unbelievable, yields beautifully, burns clean, and hits with just the right balance of flavor and effect.

Every cultivar you see on our shelves has passed through that gauntlet of selection. Only a few phenos ever make it that far. The rest—while often beautiful in their own right—are set aside in pursuit of something truly special.