Six Craft Cannabis Growers to Try in Colorado

Colorado's cannabis space has had its ups and downs, but we've never been short on talent. As dispensaries move away from growing their own product and larger companies flee the state in the midst of record low prices, smaller growers are finally receiving more time in the spotlight.

While a handful of top-tier growers, like 710 Labs, Cherry, Green Dot Labs and Snaxland, have been able to successfully expand and command premier prices, dispensaries offer plenty of opportunities to try flower from lesser-known gardens — many of which have lower prices. Here are six craft cultivations we've grown to love in Colorado.

Bubba's Kush
Winner of Westword's Best New Grower in 2023, Bubba's Kush delivers a dank mix of old and new to dispensary shelves. Bubba's Kush's Georgia Pie, Orange Cream Cake and Super Boof convinced us that the Ordway-based grower belongs in conversations about quality cultivations like Green Dot Labs, and Bubba's Georgia Pie and Super Boof are my favorite across the state. Founder and head grower Chris Kaiser is particularly excited about bringing Gorilla Glue and Triangle Kush back into the fold, and rosin collaborations are on the horizon. Bubba's Kush flower is sold deli style to save you a few dollars, but I'm at the point of blindly trusting this operation.

Meraki
The word "meraki" means "to put your soul into something" in Greek, and we can trust this Boulder-area grow to do just that. Founded by longtime Colorado cannabis guys Phil Halpern and Matt DenBleyker, Meraki has been off to a hot start since launching in 2022, thanks to a well received revival of Sour Diesel and collaborations with popular rosin extractor Soiku Bano. Meraki's lineup, which includes other hits like Donny Burger and Party Animal, is slowly expanding as Halpern works with about 25 mother plants, including Lemonhead Delight and several other strains from Colorado breeder FreeWorld Genetics.

Single Source
Growers Tony Karas, Logan Nuss and hash whiz Kennn Wall have turned Single Source into a Colorado cannabis blue-chipper, pumping out some of the state's best flower and rosin. Single Source's Sour Diesel is right up there with Meraki's, but what I respect most about Single Source is its drive to grow strains and cuts that most others aren't. I haven't seen Loompa's Headband or Strawberry 2.1, two blockbuster Single Source productions, from anyone else in Colorado, and you can count on the Denver-based operation to do pillar strains like Papaya Cake or Poontang Pie not just correctly, but exceptionally. Grab a gram of Wall's top-notch rosin, largely made from the same strains sold on the flower shelf, for a true Single Source combo.
So Good
Jaymes Chancellor and Valerie Van Halen were at a crossroads when the couple's employer, longtime pot shop Urban Dispensary, announced it had sold to a cannabis ownership group with plans to turn the store into a different dispensary. Eventually let go after the deal, Chancellor, a grower at Urban, and Van Halen, who ran business operations for the dispensary, decided to combine their talents and open their own cultivation. Financed and built by the couple, their family and friends, So Good is just getting off the ground, but Chancellor's Sour 91' Pie, Wedding Cake and Purple OG are garnering stellar reviews. His Blue Dream, one of Denver's most popular cannabis varieties in the early years of recreational sales, is sparking a comeback for the blueberry-heavy strain, as well. Popular Boulder dispensaries Eclipse Cannabis Co. and Maikoh Holistics are quickly burning through So Good's flower, while Soiku Bano's rosin extracted from So Good's Papaya is available at a few more stores in the metro area.

Indico
Indico's crew loves music, and you might find them setting up a DJ table at your favorite dispensary instead of a boring fold-out table. Don't wait for a vendor day to give this southern Colorado cultivation a try, though. Another small grower based in Ordway, Indico is powered by Josh Foley and Owen Miller, who brought home a High Times Cannabis Cup trophy in 2019 for their rendition of Mandarin Sunset. The Mandarin Sunset is still a star at the operation, but I've really enjoyed Indico's Forbidden Fruit, a mix of Cherry Pie and Tangie reminiscent of Golden Goat, as well as the Peach Maraschino, which is in season all year-round.

Antero Sciences
The southern Colorado invasion in Denver dispensaries continues with Antero Sciences, a cultivation in Salida that boasts hand-trimmed and slow-cured cannabis. Antero's collaboration with Denver rosin-maker Egozi proved it can grow hash-friendly strains at a high level, while its Lemon Freeze Pop and Orange Push Pop were both cool treats during hot summers in 2022 and this year. You can find plenty of modern strains, from Dante's Inferno to Rotten Rozay, grown by Antero, but my favorites are older delicacies such as Blue Cheese, Florida Kush, Maui Waui and OG Kush.