Birkinz is a hybrid from Winners Circle Genetics, the California breeder and grower, made in collaboration with Quavo of Migos. It landed in the summer of 2021 in jars tucked inside a miniature Hermès Birkin purse, a nod to the luxury handbag behind the name.
Winners Circle says it sold out right away. An August 2021 company announcement described Birkinz as an instant hit across the California market and Quavo's latest favorite.
A Quavo collaboration, not a new brand
When word of Quavo's strain spread that summer, many people assumed he had launched a whole new brand called Birkinz. Jon Cappetta set the record straight on his Terp Hogz Sweet 16 list: it was a cultivar collaboration with Winners Circle Genetics.
Cappetta called it a Gelato cut. He also noted that it made plenty of noise online but proved hard to get, and that it delivered the terpene strength it was marketed on once he tracked it down.
Respect My Region covered the launch in July 2021. It listed Birkinz as a hybrid priced at $80 an eighth before tax, with a previous batch testing at 31.2% THC.
Winners Circle Genetics behind the jar
Winners Circle Genetics bills itself as a premium cannabis company built on luxury strains, with brand consulting on the side. The Highest Critic credits it as both breeder and grower of Birkinz. Founding member Hassim Robinson has said the company set itself apart with exotic strains and premium flower, with David Pitts running cultivation as head of cultivation.
Birkinz sits in a short catalog next to Peanut Butter & Jelly and 1942. PB&J picked up a 2020 award at Hall of Flowers, the California trade show, a year before Birkinz arrived.
The company drew investor interest the same summer. On August 10, 2021, CanaFarma announced it would take a 31.0% stake in Winners Circle in exchange for two million CanaFarma shares, plus a working capital facility.
From Cookies shelves to Victory Boulevard
Before it had a store of its own, Winners Circle sold through other retailers. Respect My Region named Cookies, Backpack Boyz, NUG and Pot Kings among the shops that carried its products.
In August 2022, the company opened a flagship dispensary at 15234 Victory Blvd in Los Angeles. Birkinz, 1942 and Peanut Butter & Jelly anchored the menu, alongside edibles, concentrates, tinctures and gear.
Frosty, dark and clone-only
The Highest Critic reviewed Winners Circle's Birkinz in March 2023 and listed its lineage as Lemon Cherry Gelato. The reviewer described medium, boulder-shaped nugs with a crystal coating, dark coloring and a clean manicure.
The review scored Birkinz 9 out of 10 overall and gave its flavor a 10, calling it distinct from other Lemon Cherry Gelato cuts. The reviewer also noted how quickly it hit after a couple of pulls.
Birkinz has traveled as a cutting, too. GrowDiaries lists it as a clone-only cultivar credited to Quavo and Winners Circle Genetics, with one indoor grow logged from a clone in custom soil under an 18/6 light schedule during veg.