The Damirjian brothers's story connects family history, early medical cannabis retail, cultivation, genetics and branded products.
Lebanon to Los Angeles: A Family Hustle
The original account identifies three members of the Damirjian family: Aram, identified as @aram_gnb. Serge. Shant, associated with @fidelsworldwide. The caption describes their family background as Lebanese and connects their early experiences to their later influence. The family's development involved several different sides of the industry, including retail, cultivation, genetics and branding.
2005: Aram Becomes a Dispensary Pioneer
By 2005, Aram was operating early cannabis retail locations. The original account specifically identifies: Hazelwood Patients Collective in Los Angeles. Sunland Organic Pharmacy. A shop in San Diego. The caption says these locations offered OG cuts at affordable prices. This placed Aram among the operators working in Southern California's early medical cannabis retail environment. The original account emphasizes that his approach involved making desirable OG genetics available without pricing them out of reach.
Raids and the Three-Year Sentence
Despite paying taxes, the brothers' dispensaries became targets of law enforcement. Honeysuckle Magazine's profile of the family documents raids in 2009 and a plea deal under which Aram took a three-year prison sentence for the whole family. Aram's incarceration became a turning point for the family's operations. While he was locked up, Serge expanded their involvement beyond retail and moved further into cultivation.
Serge: The Development of Cookies Maywood
With Aram unavailable, Serge continued building the family's position in cannabis. In 2018, he co-founded Cookies Maywood with: Big Tuna, @bigtuna_mk. Berner, @berner415. WeWorking, @weworking. The original account describes Cookies Maywood as California's first Cookies dispensary and grow. The facility became a genetic innovation hub. This was an important transition from the family's earlier medical retail activities into a more developed cultivation operation.
Cookies Maywood: Gary Payton, Cereal Milk and London Poundcake 75
The original account identifies three notable varieties associated with the Cookies Maywood grow: Gary Payton. Cereal Milk. London Poundcake 75. The caption credits Serge with helping establish new standards for: Potency. Flavor. Bag appeal. The grow became associated with genetics that helped define the emerging modern Cookies market.
From Grower to Breeder: Serge Builds Fiore Genetics
As Cookies SF expanded, Serge launched Fiore Genetics. The original account describes the operation as a breeding project built around an extensive pheno hunt. The caption gives the number: 14,500 seeds. Serge hunted through these seeds, selecting plants with different shades of green and what the caption calls nature's palette. The work was directed toward creating exclusive varieties. One named example was: Pomelo Anderson. The original account presents this as part of Serge's progression from cultivation into dedicated breeding.
2024: Serge Partners With Sensi Seeds
In 2024, Serge partnered with Sensi Seeds. The original account describes the partnership as an effort to combine California genetics with established Dutch varieties. Two specific combinations are identified: Jack Herer × Cali Hybrid. Jamaican Pearl × West Coast Fuel. The caption presents this as a meeting between California's cannabis genetics and Dutch breeding history.
Aram Returns: Building a Smoker-First Label
Following his release, Aram rebuilt his cannabis identity around a new label. The original account identifies the brand as GNB, associated with @aram_gnb. The caption describes the approach as smoker-first. Its menu included: Zoolander, developed with Serge. Cobblerz. Marakuyá Gelato. Torcetti. Knafeh. Zaba Zaba. The account characterizes these selections as street-vetted flower with heavy gas and candy notes. Rather than relying exclusively on commercial hype, the brand emphasized products that had earned recognition among smokers.
Gasbox: Packaging as Part of the Experience
Aram also developed Gasbox. The original account describes Gasbox as a way of turning flower packaging into collectibles. Its approach included die-cut packaging and themed product runs. The caption specifically identifies four examples: Gasbusters, a Halloween-themed release. Tony Soprano's '99 Suburban Rosin, a nostalgic automotive and television-inspired concept. 2Pac Tribute, a release honoring the late rapper. F1-Tinged Skelly, a themed design incorporating Formula 1 references. The caption describes these releases as nostalgia-driven concepts that kept the brand moving.
The Damirjian Legacy: Quality Over Hype
The original account closes with the family's approach to cultivation and genetics. In an era increasingly defined by mass production, Aram and Serge remained committed to: Small-batch flower. Hand-trimmed production. Exclusive pheno hunts. Quality over hype. The caption describes their position as refusing to sell out while continuing to develop their businesses. Their work helped shape modern cannabis genetics and headie culture.
Legacy: From Early Medical Retail to Modern Genetics
The Damirjian brothers's story began with Lebanese family roots and expanded into several important areas of Southern California cannabis. Aram's early Los Angeles dispensaries included Hazelwood Patients Collective and Sunland Organic Pharmacy, while Serge's Cookies Maywood, co-founded in 2018, became associated with Gary Payton, Cereal Milk and London Poundcake 75. Serge's Fiore Genetics project involved a 14,500-seed pheno hunt and later a 2024 partnership with Sensi Seeds. Aram's GNB and Gasbox projects brought together smoker-first genetics, collectible packaging and cultural references. The original account presents their legacy as one built around small-batch flower, hand trimming, exclusive genetics and quality over hype.
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Sources
nuggnotes. "Damirjian Brothers Part 1: Lebanon to Legacy — Shaping the SoCal Cannabis Industry." Instagram, Sep 30, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DPO3uKgERSL/
The original Instagram post behind this article. Honeysuckle Magazine. "Serge Cannabis and Gas No Brakes: The Damirjian Brothers' Legacy in Cannabis Cultivation and Industry Innovation." Honeysuckle Magazine, Oct 8, 2024. https://HoneysuckleMag.com/damirjian-brothers-serge-cannabis-gas-no-brakes-cultivation-innovation/ The full profile of the brothers — confirms the "Damirjian" spelling, the Lebanese-Armenian roots, Aram's three-year sentence after the 2009 raids and a plea, Cookies Maywood, Fiore, and the Sensi Seeds collaboration. Sensi Seeds. "Meet the Sensi Seeds Breeding Grounds Collab Programme." Sensi Seeds. https://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/sensi-seeds-launches-breeding-grounds/ Sensi's own account: Serge Damirjian set up the 2018 Cookies facility that produced Gary Payton, Cereal Milk, London Pound Cake and Georgia Pie, launched Fiore in 2020, and joined the Breeding Grounds collab in 2024. MG Magazine. "Los Angeles Area Marijuana Dispensaries Finally Starting to Get Licenses." MG Magazine, Jan 2018. https://mgmagazine.com/policy-regulation/los-angeles-area-marijuana-dispensaries-finally-starting-to-get-licenses/ Contemporary report of the Maywood store ("Cookies Los Angeles") receiving its license and holding its first recreational sales with Berner attending. BUILD NOTE: FIXES at build — (1) the prison section: Honeysuckle documents the brothers opening their first LA dispensary together in 2006, raids in 2009, and Aram taking a three-year sentence on a plea; no source confirms a 2010 sentence date or DEA involvement, so reframe the section to the sourced version (keep the section header's "2010" out — retitle if needed). (2) The Maywood co-founder list (Berner, WeWorking) and the two named Sensi crosses and the 14,500-seed hunt / "Pomelo Anderson" stay as the account's attributed claims — no third-party source found for them. (3) Family name is Damirjian (also applies to #145, whose post title spells it "Damirdjian").
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