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Get started ›SENSI SEEDS PIONEERED THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY TO BECOME THE WORLD’S LARGEST SEED BANK
Sensi Seeds in 60 seconds › Sensi Seeds in 60 secondsSENSI SEEDS PIONEERED THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY TO BECOME THE WORLD’S LARGEST SEED BANK
PIONEERS OF THE CANNABIS SEED INDUSTRY
Sensi Seeds pioneered the cannabis seed industry in 1985. Today, the company is the world’s largest cannabis seedbank with over 500 varieties. These genetics and the brand name have become true classics in the cannabis community. The Dutch government chose Sensi Seeds genetics to develop the medicinal cannabis supplied by pharmacies.
BRINGING CANNABIS INTO THE PUBLIC EYE
Sensi Seeds aims for the normalization of cannabis use and recognition of the plant’s therapeutic and industrial benefits. This led the company to open the world’s first cannabis museum in 1985. The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum is now present in both Amsterdam and Barcelona and has welcomed over two million visitors.
Together with the museum, Sensi Seeds regularly hosts the Cannabis Culture Awards. This award celebrates those who have taken a stand for the acceptance of cannabis. Winners include Sir Richard Branson, and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dries van Agt.
RELAUNCHING THE HEMP INDUSTRY
Sensi Seeds opened its sister-company, HempFlax in 1993. The company developed new processing methods and purpose-built equipment for hemp cultivation. These innovations have since become the industry standard. They are now used by leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers, including John Deere.
HempFlax products are widely used in the textile, food, construction and body-care industries. The automotive industry has also adopted hemp, including brands like BMW, Mercedes and Bentley. Hemp is making a successful come-back and HempFlax is leading the way.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The world’s attitude towards cannabis is changing. Countries are now legalising cannabis for medicinal and recreational use. The possibilities for industrial, nutritional and pharmaceutical applications of hemp continue to surprise us. Sensi Seeds will play its part and remain at the forefront of these developments.
Sensi seeds strives for the acceptance of cannabis worldwide
Read about the future › Read about the futureSensi seeds strives for the acceptance of cannabis worldwide
Sensi Seeds believes that responsible consumption of cannabis can enrich one’s life.
With more than 30 years’ worth of experience in the field of cannabis, Sensi Seeds is fully aware of the crucial role that cannabis can play for humankind. The company is pleased to see the current increase in attention and recognition for the plant worldwide, not only as a medicine but also as a raw material.
Sensi Seeds is committed to preserving the genetic diversity and accessibility of the cannabis plant for future generations, and disseminating information and knowledge about the beneficial effects the plant can have when used appropriately.
Ben Dronkers
It's all about the plant.
Ben Dronkers is a Cannabis entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the founder of Sensi Seeds. In the early seventies, Ben discovered the many benefits of the cannabis plant while travelling abroad to purchase hemp clothing. He thinks back with a smile: “I asked the farmers about the cannabis fields and they gave a knowing laugh. One of them gave me a handful of cannabis seeds as a gift and told me that the seeds were very important. This led me to save them, to learn more about the properties of seeds from different regions, and to collect even more cannabis seeds.” A passion was born.
Ben Dronkers’ passion led him to travel the world collecting many genotypes of cannabis, including first-class cultivated varieties. He discovered the many uses of this exceptional plant. His travels took him from the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas to South-East Asia. Around the mid-eighties, Ben’s passion developed from collecting cannabis seeds to cultivating them. Using his extensive collection of cannabis seeds as a starting point, he began cross-breeding them in order to combine the genes of different cultivars into new cannabis hybrids. This led him to create what would become the world’s largest cannabis seed bank: Sensi Seeds.
As Ben Dronkers enters his 60s, it is doubtful that he will rest on his laurels. His dedication to the marvellous multifaceted plant Cannabis sativa L. spurs him on to new challenges each year. Many of his ideas are now a thriving reality, but there are always new possibilities to explore for this cannabis entrepreneur.
Che Dronkers
Cannabis legalisation is a matter of time, not opinion.
Che Dronkers is a law school graduate and the current executive director of Sensi Seeds, together with his brother, Ravi Spaarenberg. As the youngest son of Sensi Seeds founder Ben Dronkers, he has grown up in the world of Sensi Seeds and HempFlax. Coming of age in an industry that has seen many changes in the three decades since his father pioneered cannabis seed breeding and retail, Che is both grounded in the history of the business and possessed of a dynamism to continue breaking new ground.
Che’s educational background is a distinct advantage in his role. He holds a degree in law from the University of Amsterdam with a minor in business, specialising in entrepreneurship and innovation. Che continues to broaden his knowledge with an eye for subjects which are particularly relevant to Sensi Seeds, taking post-academic courses in areas of the law such as the rights of seed breeders.
Che enjoys exploring and debating the flaws in the Dutch legal system regarding cannabis and hemp, and is constantly looking for ways in which it could effectively and realistically be improved.
Ravi Spaarenberg
Our staff is united by their love for the plant and a drive to improve things.
One of the people most responsible for the company’s success, both in Amsterdam and abroad, Ravi Spaarenberg is one of the most recognizable faces of Sensi Seeds. He is the current executive director, together with his brother, Che Dronkers.
Prior to his current position, Ravi gained his experience by starting at the bottom of the ladder and working his way up. This led him to work at, then manage, the main Sensi Seed Bank and other Sensi locations in Amsterdam for many years. Together with his elder brother Alan Dronkers, he developed several genetic programs and later contributed to successfully evolving Sensi Seeds’ presence internationally, by setting up the company’s wholesale department to answer growing European demand.
Ravi’s hands-on approach and undying passion for the cannabis plant make him a logical choice to lead the company his father established. “I’m happy that at Sensi Seeds the staff is united by their love for the plant and a drive to improve things.”