Zalympix developed from a dispensary team's belief that cannabis competitions should be decided by the people consuming the flower, not by industry insiders.
2014: Brian and Adam Open Greenwolf
The original account places the beginning of the story in 2014. That year, Brian and Adam opened @greenwolf.bellflower in the Los Angeles area. Greenwolf developed a reputation for curating premium cannabis flower. The caption identifies three brands whose products the store recognized before their broader mainstream success: @returnofthealien; @connected.california; @_thetenco. This early focus on cultivation quality became part of Greenwolf's identity.
The Problem With Traditional Cannabis Cups
According to the original account, Brian and Adam believed existing cannabis competitions had a fundamental weakness. The caption describes winners being influenced by: Industry insiders; Pay-to-play politics. The founders wanted a competition where ordinary cannabis consumers could determine the results. Their proposed alternative emphasized the experience of smoking the product rather than relationships within the industry.
2020: Zalympix Launches
In 2020, Greenwolf launched @zalympix. The first competition featured 19 top brands. The original account specifically identifies: @wizardtreez, Wizard Trees; @turtlepieco, Turtle Pie Co. The competition introduced a judging model based on consumers purchasing sample kits and voting on the products.
The $700 Judge Kits
The first Zalympix used judge kits priced at approximately: $700. According to the caption, these kits allowed consumers to sample competing flower and cast votes. The judging priorities were: Flavor; Terpenes; Overall experience. The account emphasizes that the competition did not treat THC percentage as the primary measure of quality. The goal was to identify flower that performed well with actual consumers.
How the Consumer-Judged System Works
The original account describes Zalympix as a consumer-judged competition. The documented format adds a step the caption omits: an industry-judge prequalification round narrows the field first (132 entries down to 28 finalists in 2025, per recaps and Greenwolf's own site), and the brands that advance go into the public judge kits, where consumers vote the winners. The caption identifies the kit format as: 16 half-eighths from premium growers. Participants evaluate the flower and submit their selections through online voting. The account presents this system as more transparent than competitions controlled by small groups of industry insiders.
Proper Doinks and Dope as Yola
The original account identifies two recognizable cannabis personalities among Zalympix participants: @properdoinkstv, Proper Doinks; @dope.as.yola, Dope as Yola. Their participation connected the competition with established cannabis content creators and smoking communities. The caption describes these participants as judges within the broader consumer-voting model.
2021: Seven Hundred Attendees
Zalympix began as a niche Los Angeles event. According to the original account, attendance reached approximately: 700 people in 2021. The event was still developing its audience and reputation. However, the consumer-judged format was attracting attention from both growers and cannabis enthusiasts.
2022: Four Thousand Attendees and Michigan Expansion
By 2022, attendance reportedly reached: 4,000 people. The original account also identifies 2022 as the year of Zalympix's first Michigan event. The expansion demonstrated that the competition's format could attract interest beyond Southern California.
2023: Gucci Mane and Xzibit Perform in Los Angeles
In 2023, Zalympix held a sold-out Los Angeles event. The original account identifies two performers: @laflare1017, Gucci Mane; @xzibit, Xzibit. Their appearances connected the competition with hip-hop culture and increased its visibility. The caption presents the sold-out event as an important milestone in Zalympix's growth.
2023–2024: Zalympix Reaches the East Coast
The original account places Zalympix's New York City expansion in 2024. The documented East Coast chapter begins earlier: Greenwolf's own site archives a 2023 East Coast Zalympix, where Maine Trees' Blue Lobster took Best Terps, Gassiest Flower and 2nd Place Overall. This brought a different regional cannabis market into the judging format. The expansion also increased opportunities for cultivators outside California to compete for recognition.
Why Winning Zalympix Matters
According to the original account, Zalympix awards can provide substantial commercial benefits. The caption identifies: Immediate prestige; Premium pricing; Nationwide recognition. It gives a specific example involving @mainetrees, Maine Trees. The company's Blue Lobster won Best Terps at the East Coast 2023 Zalympix. According to the caption, the recognition helped make the cultivar an immediate must-try among cannabis enthusiasts.
Exclusive Drops and Direct-to-Consumer Pricing
The original account identifies several additional features associated with Zalympix. These include: Exclusive cannabis drops; Direct-to-consumer pricing; Participation by highly regarded cultivators. The caption argues that the competition became an important destination for enthusiasts seeking access to premium flower. Its emphasis on consumer judging remained central to its reputation.
Zalympix California 2025: Best Overall Flower
The original caption provides the results for the 2025 California Zalympix Best Overall Flower category. Placement / Entry / Cultivator: 1st — #22 Zamosa — LA Family Farms; 2nd — #14 Ether — @angelcityfarmers, Angel City Farmers; 3rd — #7 Champu — @bosky.genetics, Bosky Genetics. The account identifies these as the top three placements in the category.
Zalympix California 2025: Rosin Champion
The original account also identifies the overall champion in the rosin category. The winning entry was: #3 Beyond Z by Beyond Organics. According to the caption, Beyond Z swept the rosin awards. The account credits the production collaboration as: Washed by @masterballmelts_69 using Flower from @tornadoterpz_. These details identify the contributors behind the winning concentrate.
Five Years of Zalympix
By 2025, Zalympix had operated for approximately five years. The original account describes the competition as transforming cannabis awards through consumer choice. Its growth included: The 2020 launch with 19 brands; Approximately 700 attendees in 2021; Approximately 4,000 attendees and a Michigan event in 2022; A sold-out Los Angeles event with Gucci Mane and Xzibit in 2023; New York City expansion in 2024; The documented California flower and rosin winners in 2025.
Legacy: Consumers Become the Judges
Zalympix developed from Greenwolf's experience curating premium flower into a competition built around consumer voting. Brian and Adam opened Greenwolf in 2014 and later identified problems with insider-driven cannabis awards. Their 2020 Zalympix launch featured 19 brands, including Wizard Trees and Turtle Pie Co., and introduced $700 judging kits. The competition expanded to Michigan and New York while attracting recognizable participants such as Proper Doinks and Dope as Yola. The 2025 California results are confirmed by the Dab Connection recap of the March 1, 2025 event: LA Family Farms' Zamosa, Angel City Farmers' Ether, Bosky Genetics' Champu and Beyond Organics' Beyond Z, which swept the rosin categories. The original account presents Zalympix as a competition whose influence comes from placing consumer experience, flavor and terpenes ahead of THC percentage and industry relationships.
Sources
nuggnotes (@nuggnotes). "Zalympix: How Greenwolf Created the #1 Cannabis Cup." Instagram, July 25, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DMikYB6Pi70/
The original Instagram post behind this article.
Honeysuckle Magazine. "Greenwolf's Zalympix LA: Gucci Mane, Berner, Xzibit & More." June 21, 2023. https://honeysucklemag.com/greenwolf-zalympix-los-angeles-gucci-mane-berner/
Reports Zalympix was created by Greenwolf in 2020, originally launched as the Zalympix People's Choice Awards, with winners picked by consumers who buy a judge kit — entries typically totaling an ounce of flower — and vote. Its June 17, 2023 Los Angeles event at City Market Social House featured performances by Gucci Mane, Berner, Xzibit and Demrick and reached capacity by 9 PM, with fire marshals turning people away; the piece names Adam Bregman as a Greenwolf co-founder.
LA Weekly. "Best of Cannabis: L.A.'s Best Dispensaries 2021." November 4, 2021. https://www.laweekly.com/best-of-cannabis-l-a-s-best-dispensaries-2021/
Writing in 2021, LA Weekly says "Greenwolf brought us Zalympix this year" and describes "the Zalympix gathering of 16 of the best cultivators on the planet," documenting a 16-cultivator field for the debut-era competition.
Beard Bros Pharms. "Zalympix Celebrates Five Years and Unveils a Major 2026 Lineup Across CA, MI & OK." December 12, 2025. https://beardbrospharms.com/articles/zalympix-celebrates-five-years-and-unveils-a-major-2026-lineup-across-ca-mi-ok/
States Zalympix was founded in 2021, with California winners dating back to 2021, and describes the modern format: an industry-judge preliminary round narrows roughly 110–140 entries to a top 28, after which the public votes via judge kits. It also notes modern Zalympix events draw 10,000+ fans.
Michigan Marijuana News. "2024 Zalympix Michigan Judge Kits Launch July 20th." July 12, 2024. https://mimjnews.com/2024-zalympix-michigan-judge-kits-launch-july-20th
Documents the 2024 Michigan Zalympix, organized by Exotic Matter in collaboration with Greenwolf and The Refinery, with judge kits priced at $250 — flower kits holding 48 grams across 24 flower brands, alongside 14 rosin brands. Organizers described 2024 as Michigan's third year of Zalympix, placing the first Michigan event in 2022.
Dab Connection. "Zalympix 2025 Winners and Where to Find Them." March 5, 2025. https://dabconnection.com/las-hottest-weed-contest-zalympix-2025-winners-and-where-to-find-them/?amp
Recap of the March 1, 2025 event at The Beehive in Los Angeles, where 132 entries were narrowed by an industry judging panel to 28 finalists: Best Overall Flower went 1st LA Family Farms – Zamosa, 2nd Angel City Farmers – Ether, 3rd Bosky Genetics – Champu, and Beyond Organics – Beyond Z swept the rosin categories, winning Best Overall, Best Tasting and Best Smelling/Best Terps — confirming the article's CA 2025 winners.
Hashtag Cannabis. "What Are Lobster Strains? Blue Lobster, Cipher Genetics & The Rise of a New Cannabis Family." April 7, 2026. https://seattlehashtag.com/blog/what-are-lobster-strains-blue-lobster-cipher-genetics-the-rise-of-a-new-cannabis-family
States that Maine Trees' Blue Lobster won three trophies at the East Coast 2023 Zalympix — Best Terps, Gassiest Flower and 2nd Place Overall.
Greenwolf. "Zalympix New York Championships." Greenwolf Cannabis. https://greenwolfcannabis.com/zalympix/ny
Greenwolf's own New York page archives a "2023 East Coast Zalympix" and describes the competition format: a prequalification round judged blindly by a panel of industry judges, with the brands that advance going into the public judge kit for consumer voting.
0 comments