List of contents
Philosopher Seeds’ first steps in Italy
About two years ago, our team landed in Italy, just when the cannabis industry had just come out from a harsh persecution that had lasted several years. At that time, not many brands were interested in investing in this country. Both the stringent laws regarding drug use and the strong presence of the church in institutions made this beautiful country a difficult place where cannabis cultivation for self-supply was unlikely to prosper. At present, a change in the course of events seems to be happening, since the end of the Fini Giovanardi law has been the starting point for many growers to get out of the closet as they don’t feel persecuted for growing marijuana for their self-supply. Many people are interested now in starting cannabis-related businesses, while growers and users are joining groups of cannabis activists to make their contribution.
Philosopher Seeds at the Italy Cannabis Cup
The first action in Italy undertaken by the Philosopher Seeds team was their participation in the panel of judges at the Italy 2013 Cannabis Cup, held at the social centre of Forte Prenestino, in Rome. This is a 17-hectares military fort located in Rome, squatted since the 80's, which has a great reputation in the city. This place also represents the beginning of the relationship between growers in Italy and the genetics from Philosopher Seeds.
Seminars and opening at Grow Shop Italia
Our friends from Grow Shop Italia opened a new shop in Rome on Thursday the 19th. There was a great atmosphere, it attracted many curious onlookers, cannabis lovers and activists. We gave two talks: the first one was an introduction to the cultivation of marijuana on aquaponics, and another talk on cannabis genetics . We thank the large number of attendees and the GSI staff, who made us feel at home.
2015 Rome Canapa Mundi fair
Canapa Mundi was held on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of February in Ciampino (Rome) and was a huge success for the Italian and European cannabis sector. Once again and as usual, the Philosopher Seeds team travelled there to spread our work.
There was great expectation –on the one hand, the public and professionals response to the change of location, just two weeks earlier, in the metropolitan area of Rome. On the other hand, there was a certain anxiety concerning the reaction of the Italian security forces. Italy is currently in a sweet spot regarding the regulation of cannabis. An evidence is the more than 5.000 people visiting Canapa Mundi during the weekend.
Since early Friday, the Italian participants showed their interest and respect for marijuana. It was the third show we took part in Italy, and like in the two previous editions of Indica Sativa Trade, we were pleased to see how people under 18 are also allowed, which is undoubtedly a wise decision that supports the normalization of cannabis. We were lucky to be interviewed by the weekly magazine La Repubblica, a prestigious publication in the country, and a Teleambiente show (digital TV) about cannabis in Italy.
Saturday, the 21st, was a day to cherish due the high number of visitors (the crowd was so big that walking around the fair was difficult), the magical atmosphere, and the satisfaction by both activists and the commercial sector. We had a great deal of visits, which allowed us to get first hand feedback about the Philosopher Seeds strains. We also had many visitors from the new Grow Shops all over Italy.
The same trend of the previous days continued on Sunday: many visitors and professionals enjoyed the event. We shared space with Matteo from Dolce Vita, Giancarlo from Ascia and the adorable growers from Overgrow.
We would like to thank Filippo, Raffaella, Luca, Paolo and the whole team of GSI Italy for providing a special place in their stores and stands... and in their lives!!!
We would also like to thank all our friends who came to see us to have a good time with us, such as Andrea and Adriano from Hempirico; our neighbours and friends from Il giardino di Grace, Police Verde, Semenze.it, Canapart, Barbara and Tony from Hemp Garden, Fabio from VerdeVida and their students, Vitaverde indoor solutions, the girls from GSI green passion, Manuel from Effetto Serra, Francesco and Marina from Eko GrowShop and Peppe from Rockbazar (who will be our host at the next fair in Sicily), MalaCanapa and everyone who welcomed us, such as Gianluca from IndoorLine, Carlo, Barbara and Giada from Hempatia, Michel from Exodus GrowShop… and several of our friends around the world, such as our nice friends from Herbies, Plantasur, Genetik...
Presentation of Philosopher Seeds in south of Italy
To make the most of our trip to Canapa Mundi, part of the team travelled to southern Italy - in particular, the region of Bari - with the aim of spending a couple of days with our friends from amigos de Devida Grow Shop.
We gave a presentation of the strains. There was a video screening and we presented the features of the Philosopher Seeds strains. We had great feedback and we felt at home. On the second day we even had to give two presentations due to the large attendance. After each talk, there was a debate about growing in which we had the opportunity of sharing knowledge.
The three days at the fair were very intense. The autoflowering seed market is very large. Many growers rely on this new type of genetics: fast flowering and small-sized plants, ideal to go unnoticed in countries like Italy where you have to hide to grow safely. Italian growers rely on our varieties and are true lovers of some of our genetics. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of them.
