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A just-for-fun poll yielded a solid lineup of greatness, including Bodhi, CSI Humboldt, Capulator, and Archive Seed Bank

Three reclusive California weed legends and a Spanish “automatic” seed factory took top honors in a new, Top 50 Greatest Breeders of 2025 poll. The Top 50 list came from polling data published on the Fire Follower cannabis genetics newsletter.

[For links to the full report, including the raw voting data, check out Fire Follower.]

Cannabis’ entire $60 billion industry is downstream of less than 100 leading architects of weed’s flavor and effects, dubbed “breeders.” 

Breeders are like rock star Gregor Mendels, using sexual plant selection over years and decades to refine blockbuster weed lines like OG Kush, and Zkittlez into the next hit sequel. Their artistic choices—and accidents—in countless pollination rooms across the world create the smells, tastes, and highs of cannabis culture in 2026 and far beyond. Breeders are the hit makers of our weed world—the Diplos and Pharrells.

Downs’ personal garden harvest, 2025

Here’s the Top 50 Greatest Breeders of 2025, in alphabetical order, as derived from a public poll with over 2,700 respondents, ending Dec. 1.

Aficionado Seeds

Alien Genetics

Archive Seeds

Barney’s Farm

Biovortex

Blockhead

Bloom Seed Co

Bodhi Seeds

Cannarado

Capulator

Compound Genetics

Stacked from 8 images. Method=B (R=5,S=1)

Crockett Family Farms

DJ Short / Old World Genetics

DNA Genetics

Dutch Passion

Dynasty Genetics

Ethos Genetics

Exotic Genetix

Fast Buds

Freeborn Selections

Huckleberry Hill Farms

Humboldt CSI

Humboldt Seed Company

In House Genetics

Irie Genetics

Josh D (OG Kush)

Karma Genetics

Lit Farms

Lovin in Her Eyes

Masonic Seed Co.

Mendo Dope

Mephisto Genetics

Night Owl Seeds

Purple City Genetics

Raw Genetics

Rebel Grown Seeds

Relentless Genetics

Ridgeline Farms

Romulan Genetics

Seed Junky Genetics

Sensi Seeds

Sin City Seeds

Skunktek

Solfire Gardens

Subcool’s The Dank

Swamp Boys Seeds

ThugPug Genetics

Tiki Madman

Top Dawg Seeds

Umami Seeds

Why do a Top 50?

Fire Follower ran the poll to learn more about the top breeders in the world this year, and introduce America’s 3.3 million home growers to more of them as well. The Top 50 greatest breeders poll was also a way to give these highly influential yet little-known artists their flowers.

Where greatness resides

California dominates the breeder list as a source state for greatness, but Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, and Maine breeders made the Top 50 list.

Hit strains from the list

A reader poll is only one way to measure greatness. But strains associated with the top breeders include: Permanent Marker (Leafly Strain of the Year 2023) from No. 6 Seed Junky Genetics, and Super Boof (Leafly Strain of the Year 2024) from No. 49 Blockhead.

The Top 50 breeders on the list made hit strains that won California State Fair Awards, Leaf Bowl Awards, Emerald Cups and many more. Strains like Whitethorn Rose, and LANTZ. The Top 50 also included active legends like No. 35 Sensi Seeds (maker of Jack Herer), No. 47 Josh D (popularizer of OG Kush), and No. 44 Crockett (maker of Tangie).

Meet No. 2-ranked CSI Humboldt

CSI Humboldt’s Caleb—a 49-year-old, second-generation Humboldt, CA breeder and grower—ranked second among full ballot voters. In business since 2014, CSI Humboldt is known for its Chemdog work, as well as preserving legacy genetics as the “Humboldt CSI” seedbank. This year, Caleb released F1 Durban S1s and hybrids—playing with the forerunner to Girl Scout Cookies.

“It seems to have a really similar structure to Girl Scout Cookies,” he said.

Caleb also worked on building out two farm-plus-retail stores in Rio Dell, CA, and Eureka, CA. “The Humboldt Seed Bank” in Rio Dell will stock his seeds. “The Black Market” in Eureka will stock flower and include grow exhibits of sativas, indicas, “mutants”, and autos. The opening dates are in 2027.

CSI Humboldt said he would have been stoked to make the top 10 greatest breeders, and shouted out the No. 1-ranked Bodhi Seeds and No. 4-ranked Archive Seed Bank as buddies.

“I was a little surprised [to rank No. 2],” he said. “I’m aware there’s a good grassroots movement of people who like what I’m doing.”

Caleb intends to spend 2026 working on his stores with his brothers, and “breeding like Sam the Skunkman”—focusing on stabilizing specific lines, as well as preserving legacy and landrace genetics.

Here’s the Top 50 ranked by full ballot votes, with some info

  1. Bodhi Seeds—A venerated, unique, boutique breeder known for Goji OG, and his work with ‘88 G-13 Hash Plant (88G13HP). I grew his Love Triangle and it was awesome.
  2. Humboldt CSI
  3. Capulator—LA-based maker of MAC
  4. Archive Seeds—Oregon-based innovator of Rainbow Belts, FaceOff OG, Dosidos and many more. I’ve grown his Lemon Dosi and it was fantastic.
  5. Humboldt Seed Company—Humboldt-based maker of Blueberry Muffin, and Blueberry Pancake
  6. Seed Junky Genetics—LA-based maker of Permanent Marker, Wedding Cake, Kush Mints
  7. Freeborn Selections—Boutique California breeder of Piescream, Root Beer
  8. Bloom Seed Co—Colorado-based leading producer of strains for hash production like Strawberry Guava, Black Maple, Melted Strawberries
  9. Karma Genetics—European worker of OG and Z lines, like strains Zowahh
  10. In House Genetics—Maker of Slurricane, Black Cherry Punch
  11. Exotic Genetix—Washington-based powerhouse of Cookie genetics
  12. Fast Buds—European auto seedmaker
  13. Solfire Gardens—Maker of Don Mega, Bahama Mama
  14. Top Dawg Seeds—New York-turned-Colorado keeper of original Sour Diesel work
  15. Cannarado—Colorado’s hit maker of Sundae Driver, Grape Pie, andSpritzer
  16. Tiki Madman—Maker of Dante’s Inferno, and Devil Driver
  17. Skunktek—Part maker of Piescream
  18. Raw Genetics (Zlushiez)
  19. Compound Genetics (Eye Candy, Apples & Bananas)
  20. Barney’s Farm (European icon)
  21. DNA Genetics (Kosher Kush, Strawberry Banana)
  22. Ethos Genetics (Colorado seed juggernaut)
  23. Mephisto Genetics (Leading auto seed maker)
  24. Mendo Dope (Rappers and growers in Mendocino County)
  25. Huckleberry Hill Farms (Whitethorn Rose)
  26. Night Owl Seeds (Hot auto breeder from Maine)
  27. Ridgeline Farms (LANTZ)
  28. Sin City Seeds (Sin Mint Cookies)
  29. Masonic Seed Co. (Wilson, Banana God, Ruby Weapon)
  30. Umami Seeds (Boutique hype breeder in Southern California)
  31. Purple City Genetics (Gush Mints, Marmalade, Moroccan Peaches)
  32. Swamp Boys Seeds (The White, Triangle Kush)
  33. DJ Short / Old World Genetics (Blueberry)
  34. Rebel Grown Seeds* (Double OG Chem)
  35. Sensi Seeds (Jack Herer)
  36. ThugPug Genetics (PB Breath)
  37. Lovin in Her Eyes (Spanish Moon, Strawberry Cadillac)
  38. Aficionado Seeds (Black Lime Reserve)
  39. Dutch Passion (European icon)
  40. Relentless Genetics (Trop Cherry)
  41. Subcool’s The Dank (Stabilizing Chernobyl, Querkly, Slymer)
  42. Biovortex (GMOB)
  43. Dynasty Genetics (Blue Magoo, Huckleberry)
  44. Crockett Family Farms (Tangie)
  45. Lit Farms (Pineapple Zoap)
  46. Irie Genetics (Golden Goat)
  47. Josh D (OG Kush)
  48. Romulan Genetics (Carrying on Romulan work)
  49. Blockhead (Blockberry aka Super Boof, John Truffolta)
  50. Alien Genetics (Alien OG)

Inside the Top 50 greatest breeders poll

Fire Follower’s ‘Top 50 Greatest Breeders of 2025’ list is derived from 733 full ballots among 2,703 unique responses to the public poll on Google Forms, which ran from Oct. 27 to the end of Dec. 1 online. It really took off. We nominated over 100 breeders for the poll, and folks could write in their own. Weed fans ended up voting for 505 unique breeders. More than 250 breeders received just one vote—indicating a “long tail” of breeders with at least one die-hard super-fan.

The Top 50 vote-getters featured European breeding companies like Fast Buds, all the way down to solo California artists like Biovortex. Fast Buds used its 15,000-person Discord channel and 40,000-follower X account to win the raw ballot count.

For our final rankings, we focused on ‘high-information voters’ who used all ten of their votes to fill their ballots. Voter totals for the Top 50 Greatest Breeders of 2025 showed a large amount of diversity, with no top breeder running away with first place.

For links to the full report and the raw voting data, check out Fire Follower.

The post The Best Cannabis Breeders of 2025, As Voted by the Community first appeared on High Times.