Breeder Voyage (Vol.1) – Atomic Berry
Atomic Berry, aka Champagne Berry!
Breeder Voyage is a casual deep dive into the stratosphere of untold or unknown origin information of unique genotypes and beyond. We set the bar high for our first volume, bringing you the all-BC-bred future classic Atomic Berry, aka The Champagne Berry. What happens when legends of breeding and legendary cultivars come together? Let’s just say legends are not born; they are created. This unique creation comes from the brains behind the craft at PureFire; Bill and Cody Lewis. When they are not deep in the zone of perfecting the next round of BC Quads to be released, they are deep into exploring genetic diversification and hybridization. This voyage starts with Bill acquiring some Gods OG Kush seeds from Jordan of the Island, choosing a selection that had “just enough OG traits coming through,” they knew they could use it in the stable for another old powerhouse they had been holding on to for some time, a special cut of BC’s own Shishkaberry from Breeder Steve. Shishkaberry is a resin beast that’s been enjoyed for nearly three decades. Two potent Afghan selections were used, and one extremely flavourful blueberry male created the now 28-year-old legacy cultivar.
We had some questions for Cody at Pure Fire, so we dug deeper:
What are some of the outstanding traits of Atomic Berry?
Terps, Terps, Terps. The first thing has got to be its terps, the nose and flavour… It’s LOUD.
It’s distinct, pungent, long-lasting, and most importantly… Purefire 😊
How do you take care of it through the growing cycle?
We take care of all our plants the same way. The hard way. At PureFire, we have one simple goal, grow kick-ass weed. We are a family of growers who only got into this business to go against the new norms. We have been participating in BCs bud scene for decades. After seeing the path the industry was headed down, we decided we could enter the market and help fill the gap between what used to be the world-famous legendary BC bud scene and the corporate weed world that has tried to take over.
We do almost everything by hand. It is our tradition. We custom blend our own organic soil, take our own cuts, plant our own seeds, water them each by hand, and tend to the plants individually every day, 365 days a year. We custom blend and formulate our nutrients for each strain, each growth stage, each crop, and each plant. We also conduct a whole plant hang dry, cold cure, and hand trim every bud from our facility. “Crop steering since long before it was cool”.
Our team doesn’t need sensors to grow. They are the sensors. Not to say we don’t incorporate new technologies where we can, constantly staying up to date on the latest technology and techniques of the industry. Our facility is full of state-of-the-art tech while also being simple.
“We take the long way and the hard way, but all with the same goal in mind. Continue to push BC weed back to the forefront of the industry by not losing the passion and techniques that helped get us all here and live up to our name, growing nothing but PUREFIRE.”
What OG traits do you look for in selections?
Breeding has been a passion for our family since the beginning, going back to the early 80s when breeding was more out of necessity than now. We have new strains, old strains, and everything in between. When looking for traits, it really depends on what our goal is. For Atomic Berry we were looking for several things:
Reduce overall plant height, add a more complete bud structure, bud density, trichome density, and most importantly, The euphoric high from the OG side!
Our hopes for this cross were to blend the combination of the GOK and the Shishkaberry. Going into it trying to find a pheno that would keep all of the flavours of the Shishkaberry but add in some of the desired traits of the OG, Structure, density, and yield. But the keeper had to have it all. Some of the OG fuel, the intense high, but keep the big bulbous trichome heads and the great terpenes that drew me to the flavour of our Shishkaberry cut. It was also an incredible opportunity to see what we could create using 100% B.C.-bred genetics done in-house with the PureFire touch!
We heard Bill used to breed horses tell us more:
Ah, Yes, Bill’s passion turned to horses for several years throughout the early 2000s. Not just any horses but World Champion quarter horses. As with anything he does, Bill always pursues the “best of the best,” and his love of the horse is no exception.
After an experience in the late 90s with law enforcement and cannabis, My dad decided to focus his attention on another passion, raising horses. For the next several years, his focus shifted from cannabis. This would allow our family when I was young the opportunity of a farm experience as well as travel to the U.S. and Disneyland. This equine journey started in Northern Alberta with the purchase of our family’s first horse, a quarter horse named Dustaway Doc. Bill’s keen interest in lineage covering conformation, size and temperament took him across North America to search for the top breeding stock available.
In collaboration with a good friend, many farms were visited throughout California, Texas and Oklahoma. Searching for the best bloodlines and traits of the American Quarter Horse. After much searching, we found the winner. A Palomino stallion named Genuine 007. His lineage was impeccable, and he came from one of the most successful breeding programs in the world.
Over the next several years, Genuine 007 proved himself, winning 7 World Championships. He was known as one of the best heading, heeling and calf-roping horses in the world. This specific phenotype of a horse was a successful athlete as well as an outstanding sire to many champion foals throughout North America. In 2003, our family purchased their own World Champion Stallion, twice in Working Cowhorse and once in Reining.
Is there a similarity between horse breeding and cannabis breeding?
Success in horse breeding is very similar to cannabis. You select genetics based on the traits you most seek in the progeny. Horse bloodlines and cannabis “bloodlines” have a lot in common. Understanding each is almost one in the same. The simple thought is to breed the champions and create a winner. But that’s rarely the case; you must understand what characteristics you’re trying to isolate, add, or remove. Put the wrong breeds or champions together, and you’ll never have success. Alternatively, occasionally the least likely mixture creates the best combination!
What flavour do you pick up in Atomic Berry that people can look forward to?
The strain name for this one actually came from its almost “Nuclear” aroma and flavour. Pungent Chemical/Gas-heavy front end but with a natural berry sweetness. So not only does the name pay homage to its lineage, it’s also a descriptor of the flavour you can expect.
A big Thank you to the Lewis Family for everything they do! Here is a picture of Cody doing what he does best:
