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PRESS RELEASE (Los Angeles, CA – April 16, 2025) — Ball Family Farms (BFF) is proud to introduce Rare Breeds—an initiative built to scout, mentor, and launch the next wave of cannabis strain creators. Inspired by how record labels find and develop rising stars, Rare Breeds gives underground talent the shot they deserve, turning original genetics into top-shelf, legal market hits.
For decades, it’s been the underground that’s defined cannabis culture. Rare Breeds bridges the gap between the street and the storefront—offering legacy seed poppers and self-taught breeders the tools, mentorship, and platform to take their strains from garage grows to dispensary shelves.
“This is about giving real growers a lane,” says Chris Ball, Founder and CEO of Ball Family Farms. “For too long, the people who built this culture have been left out of the legal game. Rare Breeds is how we change that—by putting legacy talent front and center and creating real opportunities from the ground up.”
An annual Rare Breeds contest will handpick one standout strain creator—whether running a home grow or working a legal facility—with winning strains scaled for a limited retail release, backed by the full support of the BFF team. That includes hands-on guidance through BFF’s new three-medium cultivation process, plus mentorship in branding, retail strategy, and everything needed to bring an underground strain to commercial success. Contest details drop in August, but California-based breeders can sign up now at BallFamilyFarms.com for early access and updates.
Zak “Hoodbaby” Alkatib (left) and Chris BallPhoto courtesy Ball Family Farms
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the incredible work BFF is known for,” says Zak Alkatib, better known as Hoodbaby. “With Invader Zim, I’m showing what real craft cannabis can be—no gimmicks, just real terps and real genetics that hit exactly how they should.”
Hoodbaby is the blueprint for what Rare Breeds is all about. Known for crafting unique, standout strains that even seasoned growers admired, Alkatib had built a name as a self-taught pheno hunter running heat out of his home grow, but getting into the legal market? That felt out of reach—until Oscar Figueroa, BFF’s Cultivation Facility Manager, introduced him to Chris Ball. After one smoke session, it was clear Alkatib had the talent, the genetics, and the drive to inspire what Rare Breeds would become.
Now, as the program’s inaugural participant, Hoodbaby’s debut strain, Invader Zim, is creating buzz as the first official Rare Breeds release. With a lineage of Runtz x Zkittles x Animal Cookies S1, Invader Zim blends sweet candy terps with sharp citrus and smooth gas, delivering a full-body, unforgettable smoke. After a test run sold out in 24 hours, the official release drops this June.
And this is just the start. Rare Breeds is about breaking down the barriers that keep legacy growers out of the legal market—offering end-to-end support, from cultivation and branding to retail strategy and sales, but without the overhead. It’s about keeping the culture authentic. And it’s about growing in an authentic way. Because Ball Family Farms believes cultivating the culture means creating space for the next generation to thrive.
As the journey unfolds, BFF invites the cannabis community to follow along on Instagram for exclusive access to Rare Breeds updates, behind-the-scenes strain development, and the stories of the growers bringing the next wave of heat to the legal market. Tap in at @BallFamilyFarms to follow the Rare Breeds journey and see who’s up next.
For more info on Rare Breeds, Invader Zim, and future drops, visit BallFamilyFarms.com.
About Ball Family Farms
Ball Family Farms is a culture-first cannabis brand rooted in quality, innovation, and staying true to the game. Founded in 2018 by legacy cultivator Chris Ball and his brother Charles Ball, BFF is proud to be Los Angeles’s first black-owned, vertically integrated indoor grow facility. Known for its proprietary genetics and commitment to uplifting legacy talent, BFF created the Rare Breeds program to give the next generation of growers a shot at the legal market. With the motto “Cultivating the culture, from the ground up!” BFF invites you to learn more at ballfamilyfarms.com or on Instagram @BallFamilyFarms.
About Rare Breeds
Rare Breeds is Ball Family Farms’ way of putting real growers back where they belong—at the forefront of the legal game. Built to give legacy talent a shot at the spotlight, Rare Breeds provides the mentorship, resources, and platform needed to take original genetics from underground to top shelf. It’s about bridging the gap between the streets and the industry, keeping the culture alive, and making sure the people who built this plant’s legacy have a stake in its future.
