Geekin’ Out Over Fruity Geekz

SugarTop Buddery adds a“fundica” to the menu

Written by Amanda Lurey, Photographed by Kayl Wohl

Pride Edition, 2023.

When I first took a sniff of the Fruity Geekz flower sitting on the counter at Hive Cannabis Connect, my immediate reaction was, “Damn, that’s fruity.”

The hit off of a Benji wrapped rolling paper, which was printed to look like a $100 bill, instantly brought memories of chowing down on Fruity Pebbles before school to the surface. And the strong, thick exhale was reminiscent of milk. On my second hit, I felt like Remy from “Ratatouille” when he first tried cheese with a strawberry: I was seriously noting the flavor profiles. On the inhale, it was sweet and sugary, and on the exhale, it was creamy and fluffy.

Hive, the brand new dispensary by Echo Electuary, carries Fruity Geekz at an affordable $8/gram. Hive budtender Desean Archuleta said he has been smoking Fruity Geekz for at least six months now.

“It’s delicious,” Archuleta said. “Honestly, I kind of get a little addicted to the taste itself.”

This flower is what Archuleta calls a “fundica” –– meaning it’s a great strain for people who want to be sociable and giggly but still mellow and ready to vibe. Among many users, indica strains can bring on a couch-locked experience, but Achuleta said this indica-dominant hybrid doesn’t necessarily knock people out unless they want to go to sleep.

According to Archuleta, Fruity Geekz delivers a euphoric, cerebral high. Indica-dominant strains and I don’t usually gel well because they shift my mood in a negative way, but I have to give credit where credit is due: Fruity Geekz is yummy. Rather than smoking it in a group setting, I highly recommend using it before bed or with a chill roommate in the comfort of your home.

There is no denying that this strain is delicious and fruity. There is also no denying that, recently, queer people have taken back the term “fruity.” Even Snugz Dispensary budtender Kristin Hewes called themselves “some fruity bastard.”

According to GCN, the term “fruity” was originally a slur used against gay men. Queer people have constantly been ostracized and ridiculed, so it’s not shocking that there were subverted slurs ingrained in homophobes’ vocabulary. “Fruity” often referred to the femininity that gay men would demonstrate, and this vernacular was a way for heterosexual men to say nasty things about people without sounding overtly homophobic.

The concept of queer people being “fruity” also goes back to a time when queer people were medically tortured because their sexual orientation was deemed a mental illness. So although “fruity” may be indicative of the phrase “you’re as nutty as a fruitcake,” queer people  began seeing being called “fruity” as endearing –– so long as it’s by other queer people or friends.

SugarTop Buddery’s Fruity Geekz is the next best way a cereal’s flavor can remind people of queer visibility, obviously set against Kellogg’s allyship back in 2021 with its controversial Together With Pride cereal. CEO Anna Kaplan has advocated to increase equity in the cannabis industry, and SugarTop Buddery has invested much of its energy into social justice through aligning with nonprofit organizations, educating the cannabis community on anti-racism and diversity and supporting brands to further emphasize the company’s missions.

The LGBTQ+ community has been advocating for cannabis use for decades, so it’s only fitting that SugarTop Buddery’s Co-Founders Jarrod Kaplan and Anna Kaplan, siblings, have used their business to bring revenue to activism. Jane West, a SugarTop Buddery brand, works to make the cannabis industry acceptable for all women and all people. West said she looks for diverse professionals and seeks to continue to get women involved in the cannabis industry.

SugarTop Buddery’s strong mission for the business, coupled with the strain’s quirky and fun name, allows for all people –– especially queer people –– to enjoy this indica-dominant hybrid that tastes like a cavity-inducing breakfast. And I can only imagine that the queer people interested in coding, gaming and other nerdly customs must be reveling in the visibility of being Fruity Geekz.