A Brief History of Runtz
The earliest example of Runtz packaging from Sticker Farmer’s IG page
Some people would argue that the history of Runtz starts with Gelato or Sunset Sherb or even as far back as Girl Scout Cookies, but those strains have their own stories. Runtz really started in 2017, when according to Ray Bama, they transformed the gem they found from the facility to the top dog diamond with the brand as iconic as Tiffany’s, thanks to a bit of special help from Sticker Farmer. Once Yung LB and Ray Bama made it to the Emerald Cup with their Wonka flip design, Berner took the Runtz brand under his wing, the name became synonymous with “exotic” and the rest was history.
Official White Runtz in the Cookies Livery courtesy of Culta in MD
The genetics have been reported to be Gelato x Zkittlez, but whether this is actually true is maybe the most hotly debated phylogeny discussion in commercialized cannabis. On the other side of the argument, you have a consensus from the Z crew that there isn’t any Z in it, and even with 8 grains of salt added to the Phylos results, said results spit back Gelato and its ancestors. And if you’ve smoked a lot of Runtz, which many of us hardcore enthusiasts have, you probably haven’t noticed many Z traits present in the experience as well.
The original label for Backpack Boyz Lemon Cherry Gelato
The other important part of the story is the birth of Lemon Cherry Gelato. Due to mislabeling, bagseeds and other predictable megafacility mishaps, not all Lemon Cherry Gelato cuts are exactly the same as the original Runtz at this point in the game. But Lemon Cherry Gelato is reported to be a cut of Runtz that was migrated to the Cannatique camp and was given the blessing to release by the Runtz team. Multiple sources including the Runtz team, the Backpack Boys team, and other industry sources working in those facilities have corroborated the story. Both Lemon Cherry Gelato are also heavily counterfeited, which like the streetwear marketing strategy much of these tactics come from, only increases the hype for brand name Runtz.
Obama Runtz, the most well-known counterfeit release of Runtz
A Telegram ad with the notable scam trick of hiding the tear indents, which the genuine bags of this era did not have
A counterfeit sticker bag of Runtz
Ultimately, regardless of whether you like Runtz or not, it was the first and still one of the only strains that had mass appeal both in the streets and in stores. That appeal has only slightly died down by today’s standards, even though large facilities in California still love growing by the ton. Runtz is approachable smoke for basically anyone and the flavor is saturated on the palate at basically any level of quality, which is why you see so much Lemon Cherry Gelato in crazy packaging on almost every eye-catching brand’s lineup.
