Green House Stories · 8 min read
Arjan Roskam: From Amsterdam Pioneer to a Global Green House Legacy
The founder behind Green House Coffeeshops, Green House Seed Company and Strain Hunters built a culture-led network that grew from Amsterdam to international projects, including Thailand.
The early vision
Official Green House sources say Arjan Roskam began growing exotic strains in 1985, driven by a belief that cannabis would eventually be normalised rather than hidden. That early period was less about commerce than about collecting, comparing and understanding genetics — a habit of documentation that later shaped everything the company did.
Amsterdam beginnings
In 1992 he opened the first Green House Coffeeshop on Tolstraat in Amsterdam. According to official Green House sources, the shop took the overall High Times Cannabis Cup in 1993, followed by further major recognition in 1994 — results the brand still treats as the foundation of its reputation. These award claims are as described by Green House and High Times publications rather than independently verified here.
Building the Green House network
What began as one coffeeshop became a group of connected projects: Green House Coffeeshops, Green House Seed Company, Strain Hunters, Green House Feeding, Green House Kitchen, GH Medical and the Franco Loja Foundation. Official brand sources claim more than 40 High Times Cannabis Cups and over 200 international awards across those activities.
- Green House Coffeeshops
- Green House Seed Company
- Strain Hunters
- Green House Feeding
- Green House Kitchen
- GH Medical
- Franco Loja Foundation
Strain Hunters and landrace preservation
The Strain Hunters documentaries were built around a preservation mission: travel to regions where traditional landrace varieties still grow, record how local communities live and work with those plants, and preserve seed lines that are disappearing as habitats and farming practices change. The films are field journalism as much as botany, and they gave Green House its documentary voice.
Expedition timeline
2008
Malawi
2010
India
2011
Morocco
2012
Trinidad & St. Vincent, Jamaica
2013
Eswatini (Swaziland), Colombia with VICE
2016
Congo with VICE / HBO
2021
South Africa
2024
Thailand expedition
Amsterdam to Thailand
Green House Thailand describes itself as a joint venture connecting Green House Brands with Energrow Thailand, and says its registered library includes more than 195 varieties. Official sources describe a presence in Bangkok and on Koh Samui. Those descriptions are reproduced here as published by the company; this article makes no sales, availability or medical claims.
Cultural footprint
Over three decades the Amsterdam shops became a fixture on the city's cultural map, and the Hall of Fame wall records visitors who passed through. Alongside that, documentary storytelling, collaborations with international growers and researchers, and public advocacy for legalisation and normalisation formed a consistent thread. The visitor tradition is a matter of record and is not presented here as an endorsement of any product or brand.
Today and legacy
Arjan remains the founder and public face of Green House, but the work has always been collective: breeders, shop teams, film crews, local growers and partners in every country the expeditions visited. Franco Loja, his long-time Strain Hunters partner, remains central to that story, and the foundation carrying his name keeps the preservation mission going.
From the field
A visual record from expedition work: plants documented where they grow, harvest days shared with local collaborators, and close study of flower structure.
Landrace plants documented in the field 
Macro detail of resin-covered trichomes on a mature flower 
Harvest and local collaboration 
Close-up of a deep purple flower covered in morning dew 
Fieldwork during a Strain Hunters expedition 
Tall outdoor landrace plants photographed from below against a blue sky 
Landrace plants documented in the field 
Sunrise over an open field of landrace plants during a Strain Hunters expedition 
Close study of flower structure
Sources & further reading
- Green House Coffeeshops — official site
- Green House Pijp (Tolstraat) location page
- Green House Seed Co — About Arjan Roskam
- Strain Hunters — About
- Green House Thailand — About
- Green House Thailand — Our Team
- VICE — Kings of Cannabis (Part 1)
- High Times — The Reigning King of Cannabis
- YouTube — Green House Amsterdam
Follow the story
- Instagram — Green House Coffeeshops
- Instagram — Arjan Strain Hunter
- Instagram — Green House Thailand
- Facebook — Green House Coffeeshops
- YouTube — Green House Seed Co
- X — Green House Thailand
Editorial and historical content for readers aged 18 and over. Award and record claims are attributed to official Green House sources. Cannabis laws differ by country and region — always follow local rules.