We're launching the Illuminator on July 15th as it is the anniversary of when the state of Illinois awarded Illinois Collective, Inc. with a craft cultivation license in 2021. This was particularly exciting news because just days before on July 4th the Oakland, California facility experienced a devastating 3-alarm fire that closed the business.
If you'd like to know more about the background of IC Collective, follow the link below to read the full blog post.
We look forward to sharing news to your email about upcoming events, product drops, and merch as well as a monthly illumination of the history and lore of IC Collective and cannabis culture.
What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been...
We get asked all the time about our origin story. Where did our strains come from? When was IC started? In truth, the beginning of any good story isn’t ever really the beginning. The IC Collective story starts long before the creation of IC Collective. It’s hard to say exactly when our story starts... but as with all evolutionary tales, we should begin with an acknowledgement of those who went before, a nod to those who paved the way, and recognition of those who walked alongside us when the path was much less traveled. So here’s to the hidden predecessors, to the ones who took the rap and did the time and to the ones who took big risks and alternately reaped big rewards and paid big prices to serve the plants and the people long before it was legal to do so.
In a way, our story begins with the letters I and C: Initial Contact. Or perhaps, Incidental Connection. It might begin with Interesting Coincidence, or with Inspirational Curation.
In the center of it all is an anecdote that is now the stuff of urban legend, and at the risk of relating an over-simplified version of history, it can at least be said that it began in the year 1991. In that time, cannabis lived a secret life, whispered about, but not spoken aloud in most circles. However, there was one place where it flowed more freely, and where the world of altered experience swirled like a kaleidoscope, a multi-colored and layered place where the music never stopped, an unconventional community in which a path was revealed; one that was profoundly different than what came before.
”The bus came by and I got on, that’s where it all began…”
The path, which began on the east coast, became the centrifuge of IC Collective founder Benjamin Brown’s life for the duration of that year and into those that followed. While many new experiences unfolded, on one particular night everything changed for him - and the source of this change was a smell unlike any other he’d ever encountered. Whiffs of fuel brought memories of the past from a place at once familiar and unimaginable. He began a search for the source of that scent. His persistence earned him a passing of the pipe which contained the flower that produced this life-changing smell, and thus began his obsession with the original fuel-based strain, Chem ‘91.
The hands who passed that pipe to his were those of the elusive and venerated Chem Dog, the grower of the legendary Chem ‘91 seeds, which changed the course of many lives, including, of course, that of our founder, and contributed significantly to the trajectory and aesthetic of modern cannabis.
The genetics of the strain that produced that irresistible smell are the foundation of IC Collective’s extensive strain library - the genetic expansion of the revered Chemdog, the godmother of the IC lineage, which emerged from the Intentional Cultivation of those very seeds.
For years and years, for over a decade, really, Chemdog was both hidden and pursued. It was cultivated in hidden spaces, yet was recognized across the country by those in the know as the first of the fuel - the strains with potent terpenes reminiscent of the smell of gasoline.
Ben carefully cultivated that Chemdog strain alongside other well-known variants of the same fuel family. His love of the plant guided him to hone his skill and craft, which earned him the nickname “The Scientist” among his friends, referring to his ability to cultivate the plant in ways that were exceptional given the tools available at the time. Through days, months and years of quiet dedication, his craft evolved, and the underground cannabis scene became an industry.
With an eye on the future, Ben made moves to have a prop 215 medical cannabis collective and produced stellar cannabis for its members. This is the origin of IC Collective. The first member, who joined the collective in 2009, is now our head of sales. With the road to legalization in our sights, IC Collective moved forward enthusiastically on the path.
Along the way, in 2013, Ben’s cultivated version of Headband won a High Times award. During that time, Chem Scout was made through the blending of a potent Bay Area strain with the heady characteristics of Chemdog, which won the High Times Cup in 2014. IC Collective continued its work of expanding and evolving its strain catalog, taking home more awards and receiving honorable mentions in cannabis publications in the following years.
The path to legal cannabis has been an adventure to say the least. IC Collective has survived multiple robberies, a devastating fire that we were certain would finish us, and laws that were constructed to crush small cannabis businesses. Thanks to the grace and dedication of our supporters, we keep rising from the ashes, staying true to our love for the plant and our belief in the power of evolution.
Like the phoenix of legend that rose from the ash, we have risen and moved forward. We are grateful for the journey, for learning from the trials and tribulations, and for the resilience and excellence of the team we work with.
IC Collective works for the plants, day in and day out. And the plants never let us down. With this belief that time and experience has so deeply instilled in us and our unflagging desire for progression, we keep on going. IC Collective’s list of incredible strains has grown and we have never lost sight of its origins, staying true to the motto “We Run on Fuel,” which fuels the continued exploration and expansion of the craft cannabis strains and products that IC Collective offers, holding the Integrity Code at the heart of all we do.
This month we shine the light on the funky Fox River Chem. A staff and locals favorite, Fox River Chem represents where the IC Collective journey in Illinois begins and lives.
Fox River Chem is inspired by the Fox River that flows through Illinois Collective's home of Cary, IL in McHenry County. The resinous glimmer of the buds is reminiscent to Chem varieties of the past much like how a river is reminiscence to the history of the land through which it flows. And the Fox River has a long history of being a place where people like to relax and have fun outdoors - in true IC Collective style.
In a twist of fate, this pheno originates from a Chem 91 bagseed we found in 2016. After 7 years of waiting in a freezer, the seed was finally popped and the varietal was chosen in the Illinois Pheno Hunt of 2023.
A more green-leaning Chem 91 pheno, Fox River Chem packs that classic Chem knockout punch, but with its own distinct funk. This variety will relax you enough to put you to sleep - or perhaps to enjoy a nap by a river.
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