Good PizzZa Podcast

Ken Estes discovered Granddaddy Purple in 2003. Here is exactly how it happened, who gave it to him, and what it cost. Ken Estes is one of the few people in cannabis history who can say they received a legendary strain from a Native American medicine man, named it on the spot, and turned it into a national phenomenon while simultaneously fighting off federal raids, winning every case, and building...

Mendo Dope Boys built 20 years in cannabis and hip-hop from the mountains of Mendocino. Here is the full story. OE and Bleezy of Mendo Dope Boys have been doing this since before the legal market existed and most people knew what to call it. Born and raised in the mountains of Mendocino, they started trimming at 16 and 18, came up selling pounds in Sacramento, and connected with Bay Area rap legen...

Ben of Humboldt Seed Company rode freight trains for a decade, then built Bob Marley's official cannabis strain from the ground up. Ben co-founded Humboldt Seed Company after spending nearly a decade hopping freight trains across America, funding every mile through cannabis. Now he is building official Bob Marley strains from Lamb's Bread genetics in Nine Mile, Jamaica, documenting hash...

Episode 203: Fake Toad, Real Lessons: Preferred Gardens Founder Dave on the Grind Behind the Brand Preferred Gardens' Dave tells the full Fake Toad story, breaks down building a 70-person team, and reveals what's next for the red brand. Dave is the founder and lead cultivator behind Preferred Gardens, a Sacramento-based cannabis brand running three cultivation sites, roughly 70 people ac...

CJ Humboldt flatlined in Barcelona, grew up homeless in Humboldt County, and still chose authenticity over everything. Here is what it cost him. CJ Humboldt built his name in the legacy cannabis world of Northern California before anyone was handing out licenses. He grew up in Eureka surrounded by four Native American reservations, navigated homelessness as a kid, broke into houses to eat, and was...

Anonymous That Dude built Head Stash during the founding era of exotic weed. Here is how he got there, and what it cost him. Anonymous That Dude was in the cannabis game before the industry had a name for what he was doing. An upstate New York kid who hit the road at 18 on Grateful Dead and Further Fest tours, learned to source and move exotic work across state lines, and eventually built Head Sta...

Ed Rosenthal wrote the grow book that changed everything. Then the feds arrested him. This is the full story. Ed Rosenthal has been in this longer than the modern cannabis industry has existed. He wrote his first grow book in 1973, co-founded High Times, and watched the New York Times review the guide that taught a generation how to grow. Then, in 2002, the federal government arrested him for doin...

Elusive built his California grow operation when there was no competition, no playbook, and no real rules. He survived a fake dispensary, staged police robberies, a seven-figure rebuild that ended with a blown transformer, and a market that has changed completely around him more times than he can count. What he built out the other side is a 200-light boutique operation with 40 proven genetics, pla...

Errl Hill built one of California's last craft BHO live resin operations out of Humboldt. Here's what it actually took. Scott and Harry of Errl Hill came up through the legacy market before most people had heard the word legalization. Scott started in Humboldt in 2006, running grow teardowns every 90 days to beat landlord walkthroughs. Harry left Atlanta at 16 and found his footing on Gr...

Always Faded built his cannabis brand from Queens street corners to a Lil Baby collab that moved 200 units in one day. Here is how. Always Faded grew up in Woodside, Queens, started selling at 12 years old, and moved to Sacramento in 2012 with a plane ticket and a mission. Ten years later his brand has landed rapper collabs, moved serious volume without gimmick packaging, and survived everything t...

Ted Lewis built Ted's Budz into California's top flower brand. He started with no money, no corporate background, and a distribution license he wasn't sure what to do with. Ted Lewis grew up between Omaha, Nebraska and half a dozen cities across California, attended six high schools, and landed at Cal State Northridge on a biology track before a Bay Area roommate showed him what the...

Michigan's Growing Pains bred and grew the Banana Taffy, entered it last minute, and beat every California grower in the Proper Smoke League. Tom and Seth of Growing Pains came up through Michigan basements, illegal caregiver traps, and the gray market years before a single license existed in the state. They built a 300-light indoor operation, bred their own genetics, and then flew to Califor...

Helga built a global budtender training program in 8 countries. Here's how she got there, and why the culture needs more people like her. Helga is a Costa Rican-born cannabis educator who worked her way from restaurant manager to cannabis club manager in Barcelona before launching Global Budtender Training, a worldwide certification program built in partnership with Oaksterdam University. In...

Some of the best cannabis stories are about redemption. This episode was filmed at Mary Jane Berlin from the incredible Mills Nutrients activation, where JP sat down with Mile High Dave for an honest conversation about one of the wildest journeys in cannabis. Growing up in Southern California, Dave’s passion for the plant led him down a path that eventually put him on the run from law enforcement...

Mills Nutrients founder Mike built a top-5 global cannabis brand from the streets of Amsterdam. Here is how he actually did it. Mike from Mills Nutrients grew up in the center of Amsterdam, skateboarding behind trams, hustling in the red light district, with a father and grandfather who were bouncers. After Dutch Green Beret service and 5 years in the Foreign Legion, he came home, started growing,...

Freddie Bigg built from Bay Area middleman to cultivation partner. Here is what that journey actually cost and what it paid. Freddie Bigg started as a middleman in the pre-legal Bay Area market and made the call at exactly the right time: when recreational Cannabis launched, he partnered with SF Canna in 2019 and Planta in 2023, moving from distributor to cultivator. This is his third appearance o...

Some strains come and go… GUZ changed the conversation. This week, JP sits down with B Eazy (The Brand), Surefire (the breeder), and Elusive (the grower) for the untold story behind one of the most talked-about genetics in cannabis today. From the original breeding project to the final pheno selection, this episode breaks down exactly how GUZ went from a hunted phenotype to one of the hottest stra...

The Alien has landed… again. 👽 This week, JP welcomes back Ted from Alien Labs for his third appearance on the Good PizzZa Podcast. Every time Ted pulls up, the conversation gets deeper—and this episode is no exception. From Japan to Berlin, we catch up on everything happening in the global cannabis scene and why Alien Labs continues to lead the conversation while so many once-hyped legacy recrea...

This week, JP sits down with David Downs, award-winning cannabis journalist, bestselling author, and one of the most respected voices in the industry. With bylines at Leafly, High Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Rolling Stone, WIRED, and many more, David has spent years documenting the evolution of cannabis culture, legalization, and genetics.   After decades of covering the plant, David has b...

This week, JP sits down with Harry and Chase from Umami Seed Co, one of the most respected names in modern cannabis breeding. Known for their relentless pursuit of flavor, elite genetics, and innovative breeding projects, Umami has become a global force in cannabis. From legendary pheno hunts to cutting-edge tissue culture programs, they’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in modern canna...

This week, JP sits down with Sal from Casa Flor, a Northern California cultivator whose roots in the cannabis game stretch back more than 20 years—long before legalization changed the landscape. Born into a multigenerational growing family, Sal has spent decades preserving the culture, genetics, and traditions that helped build California cannabis. From underground gardens before Prop 215 to becom...

This week, JP sits down with Sal from Zooted Inc., one of the driving forces behind the new generation of cannabis brands putting Staten Island on the map. Alongside a tight-knit group of cultivators, breeders, and entrepreneurs, Sal and the Staten Island crew have been making serious noise throughout New York’s cannabis community. Known for their unique flavors, dedication to pheno hunting, and c...

This week, JP sits down with Old Man Dave, one of the true OGs of New York City cannabis culture. Now in his 80s, Dave has lived a life most people only hear about in stories. From moving weight during the golden era of NYC cannabis to navigating the ups and downs that came with it, Dave has seen it all. Through multiple chapters of life, relationships, business ventures, and run-ins with the law,...

This week, JP sits down with Glen from Green Dragon, a true pioneer whose journey runs deep through both the music industry and cannabis culture. Before building a cannabis powerhouse, Glen was producing records like “Love of My Life” by Erykah Badu and “Dance Tonight” by Lucy Pearl — eventually finding himself tapped in with names like Dr. Dre and Raphael Saadiq during his time in LA. From there,...

Episode 182 of the Good PizzZa Podcast, we sit down with Nat and Benjamin from Humboldt Seed Company — one of the most respected cannabis seed companies in the world. But before Humboldt Seed Co. became a global name in cannabis genetics… both of these guys were just figuring life out. Benjamin actually wound up in California almost by accident after spending nearly 10 years riding trains across A...