Kenny Powers built his reputation in San Francisco's underground cannabis scene by prioritizing genetics before premium flower became a mainstream selling point. From an early atrium greenhouse in the city to his 2001 partnership with Jason Mejia, his approach centered on selecting exceptional plants rather than producing cannabis at mass scale. The original nuggnotes account traces his influence through the Snowman cultivar, Cookie Fam relationships and genetics that reached markets well beyond California.
San Francisco: The Underground Beginnings
Known as Kenny Powers (Powerzzz Upp), Kenny emerged from San Francisco's cannabis underground in the late 1980s.
While other operators were pushing low-grade brick weed, Kenny prioritized premium genetics from the beginning.
The original account connects his early standards to the people living around him in Lower Haight in 1988.
His neighbors valued quality herb, helping shape his belief that cannabis should be judged by its genetics and quality rather than simply its availability.
This early emphasis became the foundation of his reputation.
Early 1990s: The Atrium Greenhouse
According to the original account, the operation stood apart from the bland flower common in the market at the time.
The atrium represented an important early stage in his cultivation development.
Rather than relying on conventional outdoor production, Kenny was learning how to control growing conditions and produce more consistent, higher-quality flower.
2001: Powerzzzup Takes Flight
Together, they developed the name Powerzzzup.
The original account explains that the name reflected the knockout strength of their genetics.
Quality and authenticity became the partnership's defining principles.
Their approach focused on identifying and developing exceptional plants instead of flooding the market with large quantities of average flower.
The Snowman Revolution
One of the most important developments in the partnership came through Jason Mejia's search for elite genetics.
That hunt produced:
Snowman: Thin Mint Cookies × Florida Kush.
According to the original account, Snowman quickly became recognized as San Francisco's premier OG.
Its reputation extended beyond the original cultivar.
The caption identifies several notable offspring associated with Snowman's genetic influence:
Cereal Milk.
Gary Payton.
Snow Montana.
Snowman became a defining part of the Powerzzzup story and connected the partnership with the development of modern Cookies-related genetics.
Selective Genetics, Not Mass Production
Their confidence came from the belief that they could identify strong genetics without needing to grow enormous numbers of seeds.
The partnership's confidence is preserved in the original account, in a line LA Weekly attributes to Jason Mejia:
"Pop five seeds from our crosses—you'll find winners."
The statement reflects the partnership's confidence in its breeding selections.
Rather than treating large-scale seed production as the measure of success, they emphasized precision and the ability to identify exceptional plants.
Cookie Fam: Kenny's Connection to Berner and Jigga
Kenny's story is closely connected with the Cookie Fam.
The original account specifically identifies Berner (@berner415) and Jigga of @cookiessf.
Jigga was Kenny's childhood friend from the Fillmore community center.
Their relationship extended back to their San Francisco roots, long before Cookies became an internationally recognized cannabis brand.
According to the original account, these relationships helped cement Kenny's role behind major cultivars associated with the Cookies family, including:
Gelato #41.
The caption presents Kenny as an important contributor within the network of people who helped establish the genetics behind modern Cookies releases. The documented Gelato record, however, credits Gelato and its numbered cuts — including #41, 'Bacio' — to Mr. Sherbinski with Jigga; Powers is not credited in that record, so his part in Gelato #41 rests on the original post.
Beyond California: Maryland and Cookies Partnerships
The original account identifies Maryland as one of the markets reached by Kenny's genetics.
The caption also names Cookies' partnerships with @cultaig as part of that broader expansion.
The Powerzzzup name became associated with authenticity and genetic innovation as its influence reached additional markets.
Quality Is Non-Negotiable
The original account describes his belief that cannabis fuels:
Creativity.
Productivity.
A Future Built on Genetics and Authenticity
Kenny Powers' development from the Lower Haight underground to Powerzzzup and the wider Cookies network reflects a consistent emphasis on quality.
The original account identifies Snowman, Cereal Milk, Gary Payton, Snow Montana and Gelato #41 as important parts of that history.
For Kenny, the Powerzzzup name represents more than branding. It reflects a commitment to authenticity, selective genetics and continuing innovation.
Sources
Nugg Notes. "The Legend of Kenny Powerzzz: SF's Underground to Genetic Greatness." Instagram, May 3, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJN_Fd5thfR/
The original Instagram post behind this article.
LA Weekly. "The Essential Powerzzzup Tale." LA Weekly, April 15, 2021. https://www.laweekly.com/the-essential-powerzzzup-tale/
Verifies Kenny Powers as a Cookie Fam elder statesman whose partnership with Jason Mejia anchors Powerzzzup; Powers dates his own entry into San Francisco's underground cannabis game to 1988, a year before finishing high school, and says growing up in the Lower Haight gave him access; his first grow was in a San Francisco atrium that became his de facto greenhouse; and that Mejia, who started from bag seed and brought his cuts to Powers for review, produced Snowman — stated in the article as a cross between Thin Mint Cookies and Florida Kush, with the Florida Kush described as the best OG pheno to hit San Francisco and the most expensive ounce Powers ever bought.
LA Weekly. "The Essential Powerzzzup Tale." LA Weekly, April 15, 2021. https://www.laweekly.com/the-essential-powerzzzup-tale/
Verifies the Snowman offspring claim in Mejia's own words — "The Cereal Milk, for example – the cross is Snowman crossed to The Y. So is Gary Payton. So is Snow Montana. We got a couple more from the same batch of seeds" — and the Jigga connection: Powers first met Jigga when the Cookies breeder was nine years old, playing sports together at the Fillmore Youth Center, with Berner also coming to Powers for weed in those years.
Seeds Here Now. "Gary Payton Strain: Genetics, History And Where To Buy." Seeds Here Now, April 11, 2024. https://seedsherenow.com/gary-payton-strain/
Verifies Gary Payton is The Y x Snowman, bred by Kenny Powers of Powerzzzup Genetics and released in collaboration with Cookies around 2019, with Gary Payton himself officially signing off; the original Gary Payton is a clone-only cut released through licensed cultivators.
Get Seeds Right Here. "Cereal Milk Strain Clones – Premium Cookies Genetics." Get Seeds Right Here, n.d. https://www.getseedsrighthere.com/product/cereal-milk-clone/
Verifies Cereal Milk was created by Kenny Powers of PowerzzzUp alongside the Cookies family, that its genetics are The Y (sometimes listed as Life) crossed with Snowman, and that it shares the exact same parents as Gary Payton while expressing a different phenotype.
Culta LLC. "Leading Cannabis Brand Cookies Now Available Through Culta, Maryland Craft Cannabis Cultivator." PR Newswire, January 6, 2020. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-cannabis-brand-cookies-now-available-through-culta-maryland-craft-cannabis-cultivator-300981128.html
Verifies Cookies' Maryland route: Culta, a Baltimore craft cultivator, was the first East Coast retailer to offer Cookies products under a partnership announced in June 2019, with the first official East Coast Cookies drop on January 11, 2020 at Culta's Baltimore flagship — the strain list included Cereal Milk and Gary Payton, bringing the Powerzzzup-bred Cookies genetics to Maryland medical patients.
Official Cannabis. "Gelato Strain: Lab-Tested THC, Genetics & Effects." gelatostrain.com, n.d. https://gelatostrain.com/
Verifies the documented Gelato record: Gelato (Sunset Sherbert × Thin Mint GSC) was bred around 2014 by Mario "Mr. Sherbinski" Guzman with Jai "Jigga" Chang and the Cookie Fam in San Francisco, and Gelato #41 ("Bacio") is one of the numbered phenotypes Sherbinski selected from that cross — Kenny Powers is not credited anywhere in the Gelato breeding record.
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