EXCLUSIVE: Cannabis Retailer Insa Launches Five New Strains In Massachusetts

Cannabis grower and retailer, Insa, has launched five new proprietary cannabis strains across Massachusetts.

All named 413, the area code for Springfield, the name pays homage to Insa's Western Massachusetts roots, home to its founders, Patrick Gottschlicht and Peter Gallagher, and to the grower who is leading this effort, Frank Golfieri. 

“Launching our exclusive strains is a milestone for us, and a testament to the commitment, passion, and craftsmanship at Insa,” Gallager told Benzinga. “Our growers have worked to develop these strains for almost two years. Their hands-on approach connecting with breeders to get exclusive seeds, popping those seeds, and hand-selecting the best traits to cultivate is part of our quest to create the highest-quality cannabis on the East Coast.”

Gallager said that Insa is pushing the boundaries of what cannabis consumers can and should expect from the industry in terms of quality and variety, investing in product research and development. 

“That's what our Right Coast Revolution is all about, and we are very excited to share our new strains with our customers in the 413 area of Western Mass, and beyond!”

These five new cultivars were developed from existing strains, cross-bred to create new ones, in a process used by few cannabis growers due to its complexity and long-lead timeline.

The New Releases

The new cultivars will be sold initially as pre-rolls, instead of the traditional flower that would be more limited, to make sure this first batch gets to as many consumers as possible. This is yet another push to make cannabis more accessible and to lower the barrier of entry for newcomers – all a part of Insa’s “cannabis for real-life” philosophy. 

The new strains include: 413 Papi Runtz, 413 Runtz, 413 Ice Pop, 413 Razzberry Budino, 413 Concord Grape.

The 1 gram pre-rolls are available at Insa stores in Massachusetts, and retail for $15.

Frank Golfieri commented, "all 413 cultivars are Insa exclusives — we are proudly born and raised in Western Mass and so are these strains! They were years in development, through a process we call pheno-hunting, in which we selectively breed multiple new strains and narrow them down to the best variations of each plant. “

What Is Pheno-Hunting?

Pheno-hunting is a process where growers observe the best traits of different plants of the same strain and carefully select the top phenotypes to cultivate.

Photo: Courtesy of Insa