DNA Genetics
A Dutch cannabis seed breeder whose name doubles as a pair of initials, with a story that runs from California seed collecting to licensing deals across several countries.
- 36cup results
- 8first places
- 2003–2018active in results
- 6cups entered
01Beginnings: two initials and a bag of Californian seeds
DNA Genetics is described as a Dutch company that cross-breeds cannabis strains1. Its founders are Don Morris and Aaron Yarkoni, and the name plays on their first initials, D and A1.
According to Wikipedia, the pair chose Amsterdam for a practical reason: there they could grow cannabis legally and on a commercial basis, and they brought Californian hybrid seeds with them1. CannabisNI takes the story further back, placing its roots in California in the late 1980s, where the two enthusiasts gathered seeds from many sources2. After the move, they obtained classic original strains to use as breeding stock2.
The sources disagree on timing. Wikipedia says the company was officially founded in Amsterdam in 20041, while CannabisNI says the founders moved there in early 2003 because of unfavourable cannabis laws2. The two accounts may describe different moments, a move and a formal founding, but the sources do not say so, so the exact start remains unsettled.
02The story: from Amsterdam to a map of partnerships
The documented timeline picks up in 2015, when DNA teamed up with Tweed, part of Canopy Growth Corporation, to bring cannabis to the Canadian market1. In 2017 the Canopy Growth relationship was renewed, with the aim of taking DNA's original strains to Jamaica and other Caribbean markets1.
Several deals are dated to 2019. DNA signed an agreement with Good Meds to bring its strains to Colorado, and a licensing deal with Copperstate Farms LLC covering growing, making, selling and distributing in Arizona1. In August 2019 it bought Crockett Family Farms, a family-run cannabis farm, and David Suderman of Crockett became Vice President of Cannabis Operations1. The company and Crockett also share a consulting business1.
In September 2019 a licensing agreement with Revolutionary Clinics, a Massachusetts producer and distributor, was announced1. In December 2019 DNA formed a partnership with Halo Labs, named as the sole grower and maker of DNA-branded products in Oregon, and also partnered with Green Peak Innovations that month1. A partnership with Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness followed in January 2020, the latest dated deal in the available sources1.
03Culture: trophies, magazines and merchandise
Awards and press recognition feature heavily in both sources. Wikipedia credits the company with a long record of awards, and notes that it won Best Seed Company by online vote at the Happy Place festival1. High Times honours include a Trailer Blazers award, received at the first Cannabis Business Summit, and the founders are said to appear on the magazine's list of influential people1.
CannabisNI lists placings at cups held in several countries, and High Times Strain of the Year recognition for three DNA strains between 2006 and 20082. Detailed award and strain records are covered elsewhere on this site.
The brand also reaches beyond seeds. The company sells merchandise, apparel and accessories, and the founders work as consultants for other industry professionals1.
04Now: what can be said, and what cannot
The sources do not give a dated current status. The most recent dated item is January 2020, so anything later is not documented here. Wikipedia's text says DNA Genetics has partnerships with Canopy Growth covering Canada, Jamaica and a European market, but it gives no date for that description1.
CannabisNI says the seeds are sold in many countries worldwide, though that page is undated and works as a general description, not a snapshot in time2. Wikipedia's external links point to separate official sites for the USA and the EU, plus an Instagram account1. The text of those sites was not part of the research, so what they currently say is not documented here.
05Future: no announced plans found
No announced plans or outlook for DNA Genetics appear in the sources, so future plans are not documented. CannabisNI offers only a general remark that the company keeps pushing at the limits of cannabis breeding2, which describes intent rather than setting out a roadmap. If the company publishes plans, this section can be updated.
On the podium, in our data
CannaLib records 36 cup results naming DNA Genetics, between 2003 and 2018, 8 of them first places.
Where they showed up
- Spannabis Champions Cup · 15 entries
- High Times Cannabis Cup (Amsterdam) · 8 entries
- Highlife Cup (Netherlands) · 4 entries
- Expogrow Cannabis Cup (Irún) · 3 entries
- IC420 Growers Cup (ICMag 420 Cup) · 3 entries
- Lift & Co. Canadian Cannabis Awards · 3 entries
Strains behind the results
Sources
Written from the sources above and checked on 2026-10-29. Spot an error? Tell us on the contact page.