Hey, dude! Whew, August is unbelievably hot this year, noticed? I’ll turn the heat up a little more. I’ve got a fascinating story saved up about one of our field’s giants, Pot Sistemak. I won’t reveal all my cards; first, I’ll explain why you should know these guys at all.
I’ll name a few of the company’s standout brands, and everything will become clear: La Mota, La Mota Distribución, Dinafem, and Humboldt Seeds Organization. A pretty good foundation, right? Unfortunately, the company’s operations are currently suspended… or are they?
A lawyer, a botanist, and an artist walk into a bar
It all began in Gipuzkoa, a province in Spain’s Basque Country. Pot Sistemak started its journey here, focusing on the cannabis market and gradually expanding its activities. By the way, Pot Sistemak literally translates from Basque as “growing systems.”
The story began in July 1999 in a small, 25 m² shop on Aldamar Street in San Sebastián. Three friends in their early 30s, from completely different disciplines — a lawyer, a biologist/botanist, and an artist — decided to start their own business together and share their common love of growing their own cannabis.
This was the beginning of the Lamota grow shop. You could say Lamota was initially a retail platform for selling cannabis-related accessories and products. Later, in the early 2000s, drawing on successful experience and industry knowledge, the company created Dinafem Seeds, a brand specializing in producing and selling cannabis seeds. Dinafem became a market leader, offering unique genetic lines and strains.
Another brand managed by or associated with Pot Sistemak is Humboldt Seeds Organization.
Over time, the company went beyond retail. The guys launched Lamota Distribution, a project distributing various products.
Despite its humble roots, Pot Sistemak quickly became an international player. It worked in Spain, other European countries, and North America.
Beyond its commercial activities, Pot Sistemak also actively participated in educational and awareness campaigns. The guys even carried out research in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).
Starting as a local company specializing in selling equipment and seeds, Pot Sistemak thus grew into a major cannabis industry player.
Stop there, businessman
Its rapid development, however, met an obstacle. In September 2020, the Spanish Civil Guard carried out a large-scale operation against several companies in the cannabis industry.
After the events of 2020, Pot Sistemak’s activities were restricted and have still not fully resumed. A notice appeared on its websites and remains there to this day:
“Dear customers,
We are very sorry to inform you that, against our will, we can no longer engage in any commercial activity. We are working around the clock to resume normal operations as soon as possible, but we still do not know when we will be able to work normally.
We will keep you informed of any developments.
Thank you very much for your trust.”
A quiet comeback
Dinafem may have fallen in the form we knew. But a year after its closure, a new French seed bank, Silent Seeds, appeared on the radar. It emerged thanks to the 20 years of experience of former breeders from the Spanish company that had left the game.
Yes, the team was reborn after the closure and entered the profitable cannabis seed market under a new name. Like a firebird, the trials of the past didn’t destroy the guys; instead, they allowed them to return to work stronger than ever.
Along with the team, many, though far from all, classic strains quietly migrated, such as Critical + 2.0, Critical Jack, Moby Dick, and others. But it wasn’t limited to classics: an “exotic” lineup based on Western genetics appeared in the selection, including Zkittlez 2.0, Watermelon Runtz, Cookielato, and so on.
For a quality relaunch, the guys even put together a couple of cool collaborations. The first brought together the legendary French rapper BOOBA, a.k.a. Duc de Boulogne, on one side, and Silent Seeds, direct descendant of the famous brand with “Feminized seeds are produced to give female plants. feminized ↗ dynamics,” on the other. Combining the skills and complementary demands of these two “underground” universes produced B-45 BY BOOBA.
The idea’s success sparked the next team effort. This time, Mario Guzman, creator of Sherbinskis, joined the Silent guys. His work is recognized and valued worldwide, by the way. He is especially known for developing two of the cannabis world’s most iconic strains: Gelato, including the Gelato Bacio, Acaiberry, Mochi, and Gello lines, and the famous Sunset Sherbert.
The collaboration between Silent Seeds and Sherbinskis introduced five unique exotic US strains: 3 feminized strains, Polar Gelato, Pink Sunset, and Acai Jelly, and 2 A plant that starts flowering independently of the length of the day. autoflowers ↗, Polar Gelato Auto and Pink Sunset Auto. Inspired by the US spirit and California’s atmosphere, this collection marked the initial stage of bringing together knowledge recognized as the world’s best and a drive for genetic perfection.
Moving, Humboldt style
Of course, the European representatives of HumboldtSO also experienced the justice system’s work and had to adapt to new conditions. Leaving Spain’s legal jurisdiction, the guys moved to Austria, where, like the Silent team, they carried out a small relaunch, but without needing to rebrand. Unfortunately, some strains left the selection, but as in the previous case, much was preserved. And very recently, in June this year, the breeders managed to restore their classic Blue Dream and put it back on the shelf.
Besides the justice system, COVID-19 brought many problems in that unfortunate year of 2020, particularly in logistics. So the company decided to change its packaging from old-school wooden blocks to restrained black-and-gold zip-lock bags.
So, man, Pot Sistemak’s story is a tale of overcoming, adaptation, and reincarnation in the cannabis world. From its humble beginnings to high-profile legal clashes, the brand both established itself as a key market player and proved resilient to change and difficulty. Dinafem’s rebirth as Silent Seeds and HumboldtSO’s move from Spain to Austria testify to the company’s incredible adaptability and innovation. I think this is a difficult but still new chapter in the European cannabis scene, and we’ll see plenty more from the Basque team.
And, of course, bro, if you want to add something about these guys, as always, I’ll be waiting for you in the DZAGI thread!
Sources: publicly available publications about the company and the strain.
