Preferred Gardens is David and Nicki Polley's family-owned cannabis cultivator, founded in 2015 and run out of Sacramento. It built its name on mixed-light flower and a seed-first breeding program. The catalog now covers flower, pre-rolls, all-in-one vapes, live rosin and Nicki's rosin gummies across California, Arizona, Florida and New York.
The headline arrived in January 2026. Mixed Light Z won the Proper Smoke Network Invitational and its $120,000 winner-take-all purse, a result the company bills as the biggest prize in cannabis competition history.
Sacramento roots and a Yolo County greenhouse
The company dates its cultivation roots to 2005, a decade before the brand launched. Purple Lotus, a San Jose dispensary, described it in July 2026 as family-owned with no outside investors. High Times reported in 2023 that Polley had turned down roughly $40 million in funding offers to stay independent.
That 2023 High Times profile put the California footprint at a 6,000-square-foot indoor facility in Sacramento and a 30,000-square-foot mixed-light greenhouse in Yolo County. Mixed light blends natural sun with supplemental lighting. In a July 15, 2026 post, Polley walked through the Matrix Hybrid 1000W fixtures in the indoor rooms, which pair 400 watts of HPS with 560 watts of LED and 40 watts of far red.
260 strains, all from seed
Preferred doesn't shop a nursery catalog. The company says its library of more than 260 strains was bred in-house or pheno-hunted from seed. A May 1, 2025 post put the pace at roughly 200 seeds evaluated every month.
House genetics run through the menu. Lazer Gun is a Preferred Gardens hybrid that became a breeding line of its own: Bubble Gun crosses Lazergun with Zoap, and Lemon Gun pairs Lazer Gun with Lemon Tree. Znacks, a Chauffeur and Runtz cross, launched in New York under the Snackz spelling. D-Lish combines Sweet Retreat with Z and was bred by Fiya Farmer.
Outside breeders show up too. Perm Lee, a Permanent Marker and Ztan Lee cross made with Sexual Chocolate Factory, reached Florida as a concentrate in July 2025. Orange Peelz, an Orange Crush and Z cross, sat in week six of flower on July 12, 2026.
The seed work travels. In May 2025 Polley started an international pheno hunt with DojaPak and Barney's Farm. At Mary Jane Berlin in 2026, Preferred showed Blue Zushi crosses alongside Lazer Gun seeds from the year before, per the company's July 8, 2026 recap.
Two Z brackets and $180,000 in prize money
The mixed-light program earns its keep in head-to-head brackets. Preferred's mixed-light Z flower won Best Z Strain and the $60,000 grand prize at the Proper Doinks High Rollers Z Bracket, announced April 24, 2025. The company points out that it beat a field of exclusively indoor growers, with Bay Area Flavors as the finalist.
Then came the big one. The Proper Smoke Network Invitational put 12 growers into a knockout tournament, each paying a $10,000 buy-in, with best-of-three matchups. Mixed Light Z took the whole $120,000 pot, announced January 21, 2026. The field included Wizard Trees, LA Family Farms, Ball Family Farms, Dank Mob, Gotti and Exotic Matter.
Trophies from the Astor Club to Zalympix
The Billy's NYC awards at the Astor Club in April 2025 drew more than 80 entries. D-Lish took first place for Rookie of the Year, Bubble Gun placed second in Sweets and Lemon Gun finished fifth in the same category.
The blind flower competition Zalympix has put the brand on its winners list as well. D-Lish placed second in Best Terps at the 2025 California flower competition. Kamikaze won the industry panel's Best Z or Z Hybrid at the 2026 California Winners Flight.
Flower, vapes, rosin and Nicki's
Flower anchors the catalog. The indoor line launched May 26, 2025 in 3.5-gram jars. By July 2026 Purple Lotus stocked indoor and mixed-light flower in eighths and half-ounces, plus 1-gram mixed-light pre-rolls.
The all-in-one vape landed the same day in 2025 with three voltage settings (1.8, 2.2 and 2.4 volts), USB-C charging and six launch cultivars: D Lish, Znackz, Rainbowz, Lemon Mochi, Red Paint and OG Marker. Purple Lotus lists it as a 1-gram cured resin device.
Nicki's, named for co-founder Nicki Polley, reached California dispensaries in September 2025 as rosin-infused gummies, and Purple Lotus carries 100 mg packs. Live rosin followed on March 12, 2026. It starts with fresh-frozen plants washed in ice water, then gets pressed with heat and pressure, with no butane, propane or CO2.
Culture work sits beside the drops. In July 2025 Preferred set up a state fair booth with Cookies, featuring Red Paint mixed-light eighths and OG Marker and D-Lish all-in-ones.
Florida and New York through The Flowery
The East Coast runs through The Flowery. Polley told Honeysuckle in February 2024 that a mutual friend recommended him as a consultant to design the Florida operator's grow, which grew into a collaboration spanning several years. High Times reported in 2023 that Preferred reaches Florida's medical market through The Flowery.
New York followed on February 16, 2024, when Preferred launched at The Flowery's store at 3022 Veterans Road in Staten Island. The brand's site lists its New York license as a processor license held under AP Cohen, next to a Florida medical cultivation license and a California adult-use cultivation license.
Six states on Headset's August 2026 board
Headset tracked Preferred Gardens in six states for August 2026, with more than $500,000 in sales and 183 SKUs. It ranked No. 40 in New York flower, No. 49 in California, No. 63 in Arizona and No. 77 in Illinois. Flower made up 88.12% of sales that month.
The top five sellers were all eighths: Blue Caviar, Blue Dream, Purple Medusa, Znacks and Glacier. Purple Lotus added the full lineup in San Jose on July 8, 2026, and the Polleys still run the company without outside investors.
For adults 21 and over.