The story of Fidel's connects traditional cultivation, underground California cannabis, product innovation and the transition to a legal market.
2010: From Beirut to the Los Angeles Underground
The original account identifies Shant, known as Fidel Hydro, as the central figure in this chapter of the Damirdjian family story. In 2010, he returned from Beirut and entered Los Angeles' legacy cannabis market. His early education came through his brothers' hydroponics store in Santa Clarita. Rather than immediately establishing his own large operation, he learned cultivation through daily hands-on experience. The original caption describes this period as his introduction to the practical side of growing.
Early 2010s: Madmen OG, LA Confidential and Cleaner Cultivation
By the early 2010s, Fidel was growing established varieties. The original account specifically identifies: Madmen OG. LA Confidential. The caption also credits him with introducing pesticide charts to improve cultivation practices. These charts were intended to support safer and cleaner grows. This attention to cultivation standards became part of the foundation for his later commercial operation.
2017: The Birth of Fidel's
In 2017, Shant rebranded his operation as Fidel's. The original account describes him taking responsibility for the entire process, from cultivation through packaging. He also invested in printers to maintain control over the brand's presentation. This was an important business decision. Instead of relying on outside packaging providers for every part of the identity, Fidel invested in equipment that allowed him to control quality and presentation. The caption presents this as part of his effort to establish a recognizable product and maintain control over its quality.
2018: The Hash Hole Is Born
One of the most important moments in the original account came in 2018. During a visit to Spannabis in 2018, Fidel watched the circle around him — Lorenzo, Terps Army, Josh from Natura and the Dying Breed crew — smearing hash on papers and worming it up. The experience inspired him to develop his own version. He called it the: Hash Hole. The original account describes the product as a premium joint featuring a central core of hash rosin. The design combined flower with a concentrated rosin center, creating a distinctive infused joint. The caption credits Fidel with creating his own version of the concept after seeing the donut at Spannabis.
Going Legal: Khun Josh and Natura Life Science
Fidel's operation eventually expanded into California's regulated recreational cannabis market. The original account identifies Natura Life Science as a key partner; Fidel's own interviews name Josh Schmidt of Natura as the man who scaled his production. Through these partnerships, Fidel expanded into: Cultivation. Manufacturing. Distribution. The caption emphasizes that this expansion did not mean abandoning the company's legacy roots. Instead, the objective was to scale the operation while maintaining the identity established in the underground market.
By 2021: The Hash Hole Goes Mainstream
The original account credits Fidel with coining the term hash hole and pushing the product into mainstream cannabis culture. By 2021, Fidel's rolls were reportedly retailing for as much as: $120 per joint. The caption identifies this period as the point when the hash hole helped ignite a new product category. It also describes a wave of imitators following the format. The product had moved beyond a specialized rolling technique into a recognizable premium cannabis category.
2022: An 800-Light Adelanto Facility
In 2022, Fidel built an 800-light cultivation facility in Adelanto, California. The original account makes a specific point about how the facility was financed: He built it without investors. The project represented a significant expansion of the business. Fidel was no longer operating only as a cultivator and product developer. He had built a larger production infrastructure. The caption also identifies two major retail destinations for his products: Cookies SF. STIIIZY. His products reached both platforms soon after the facility's development.
2019: Fidel's Seed Co. and the Breeder's Touch
The original account dates the launch of Fidel's Seed Co. to 2019. This marked another expansion of his role in cannabis. He was no longer focused exclusively on rolling and infused products. He was developing genetics. The caption identifies Runtz Mintz as one of the standout varieties. It describes the strain as a candy-gas resin-heavy variety developed for hash production. Another named variety was: KMZ. The caption identifies its cross as: Kush Mints × Zkittlez. KMZ went on to take first place at the Transbay Challenge, organized by Jimi DeVine, identified as @jimidevine2.0.
Additional Fidel's Seed Co. Releases
The original account identifies three additional varieties that demonstrated Fidel's breeding direction: Peaches N Kush. Tropicana Grape Cake. Garlic Grapes. These releases reinforced the idea that Fidel was developing beyond the hash-hole format. His work increasingly connected cultivation, extraction-oriented genetics and breeding.
The Collaboration Engine: Taking Hash Holes Global
The original account describes Fidel as helping take hash holes into international cannabis culture. One important collaboration connected Cookies × Fidel's. Other partnerships involved: Champelli. Marathon. Blu Money Exotics, @blumoneyexotics. The caption also identifies a collaboration called The Carrots Box, connected to Carrots by Anwar Carrots. The box combined: Flower. Rosin. Crocs Jibbitz. A three-dimensional carrot. The project blurred the lines between cannabis, fashion and art. The original account identifies Aaron Kai, @aaronkkai, and Carrots by Anwar Carrots in connection with this creative work.
Spannabis and Product Earth: Drops Become Events
Fidel's collaborations also extended into major cannabis gatherings. The original account specifically identifies: Spannabis. Product Earth. These platforms helped turn product releases into events. Instead of simply selling a product, Fidel's collaborations became part of larger cultural experiences. This connected the brand's identity with international cannabis audiences.
Legacy: Bringing Legacy Into the Legal Market
The original account closes by placing Fidel's development alongside his brothers Serge and Aram. Their combined rise helped bring legacy cannabis experience into the legal market. Fidel's contribution included cultivation, the creation and popularization of the hash hole, the development of an 800-light Adelanto facility, seed-company work and global collaborations. The story moves from Beirut in 2010 to a vertically managed brand in 2017, a signature hash-hole product in 2018, seed-company launches in 2019, mainstream hash-hole pricing in 2021, and an 800-light facility in 2022.
YouTube Video
Sources
nuggnotes. "The Damirdjian Brothers Part 2: Fidel's — A Legacy in the Making." Instagram, Sep 30, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DPPPnVlkkfS/
The original Instagram post behind this article. Beckley, Brian. "Hash Hole Pre-Rolls: The Donut Joint." DaySavers. https://daysavers.com/preroll-blog/pre-rolls/hash-hole-pre-rolls/ Profiles Shant Damirdjian ("Fidel Hydro"): the March 2018 Spannabis trip, hand-rolled hash holes back in California in 2018, and "inventing the term." Ali, Adam, and Champelli. "Hash Of The Titans: Champelli Interviews Fidel." Honeysuckle Magazine, 2023. https://honeysucklemag.com/fidel-champelli-hash-hole-cultivator-california-cannabis/ Fidel in his own words — "pioneer of the modern hash hole," brothers Aram and Serge, and the Carrots by Anwar Carrots collaboration (500 limited boxes, 3D-printed carrot, Crocs Jibbitz). "Meet Fidel." Fidel's Hash Hole. https://fidelshashhole.com/meet-fidel/ Fidel's own account: starting at 18 at his brothers' Santa Clarita hydro store, creating the pesticide charts, the first hash hole at Spannabis Barcelona 2018, his own printers, Josh Schmidt of Natura scaling production, the 800-light Adelanto build-out, and Fidel's Seed Co. "Transbay Challenge: A View From the Judges' Table." Cannabis Now, Aug 14, 2022. https://cannabisnow.com/transbay-challenge-a-view-from-the-judges-table/ Confirms Fidel's KMZ won the 4th Transbay Challenge (Aug 13, 2022, presented by Jimi Devine) with almost half the judges' votes. BUILD NOTE: Name spelling — press standardizes on "Damirdjian" (DaySavers, Honeysuckle), which matches this post's title; Part 1's "Damirjian" (Sensi/Honeysuckle profile) is the weaker variant. Keep each article's delivered title; no change needed here. FIXES/notes at build — (1) The Spannabis donut detail: Fidel's own account credits the group around him (Lorenzo, Terps Army, Josh from Natura, Dying Breed crew) smearing hash collectively — the draft's "a donut made by Travel the World for Terps" is uncorroborated; keep as the account's telling or soften. (2) "Returned from Beirut in 2010" — no source; Fidel describes living back and forth and moving to LA at 18. Keep attributed. (3) Natura partner: documented name is Josh Schmidt, not "Khun Josh" — no source found for Khun Josh; keep attributed or correct. (4) Unverified, keep attributed: KMZ parentage (win confirmed, genetics not), the 2019 Seed Co. date, $120 joints by 2021, Madmen OG/LA Confidential, Peaches N Kush / Tropicana Grape Cake / Garlic Grapes, Marathon and Blu Money Exotics collabs, the 800-light facility "built in 2022 without investors" (Fidel described it as in build-out).
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