Mattole Valley Farms Papaya Punch: Growing For a Healthy Environment and Potent Flower
Image of Papaya Punch Cola
At the root of all cannabis products is the flower and the farm it was grown at, the terroir, the climate, and all the pieces that come together to make cannabis flower perfect. Dylan Mattole, the owner and operator of Mattole Valley Sungrown (MVS), understands the importance of being a good environmental steward and how working with the environment leads to award-winning cannabis flower and concentrates. Dylan’s Papaya Punch, or as he sometimes calls it, “Purple Papaya,” is another beloved strain he grows in the warm California sun at MVS.
A Healthy Environment is Key to Good Terroir
Thanks in part to how remote it is, the Mattole Valley is relatively free of pollution. Additionally, many of the cannabis businesses in the valley are sustainable or organic. MVS uses regenerative farming practices and grows in native soils, they’re also Dragonfly Earth Medicine pure and Sun+Earth certified, which holds the cannabis to an even higher standard than the USDA organic program. One way to measure the health of an environment is to look for what are called indicator species, whose very presence is a sign that the ecosystem is healthy. In the Mattole Valley, one commonly found indicator species is the pacific tree frog, which is Mattole Valley Sungrown (MVS)’s logo.
Mattole Valley Sungrown Logo
In addition to being the logo on their products, Dylan regularly finds “a little tree frog relaxing on the leaf of a cannabis plant or hiding in the understory of the garden hunting insects.” The frog on their label is just a small reminder of the healthy environment that the flower was grown in and a nod to the hopping hunters who help keep their plants pest-free.
Papaya Punch Genetics
Like Jack, we know who bred Papaya Punch, the Oni Seed Company, who was founded in 2017 and has since then taken the cannabis industry by storm. Oni Seeds has won several awards, first for their Tropicanna Cookies, and more recently, for Papaya Punch. As the name implies, Papaya Punch’s lineage and genetics are a cross between Papaya and Purple Punch, yielding an indica-dominant hybrid.
The cannabis breeding website, Seedfinder, notes that the breeders behind Papaya Punch, HarrryPalms and Oninoodles, are “devoted hash-making old school cannabis breeders,” which clearly was a factor in the breeding. With a “Wide Leaf Drug type profile” and “bubble-gum Sativa-like flower, on a thick stemmed Indica-like plant frame,” Papaya Punch is a cannabis strain that is a trichome powerhouse ready to be pressed into hash or smoked as some very potent flower.
“We originally got a cut of Papaya Punch from a nursery in central California and were told it was Purple Punch x Papaya,” said Dylan, adding “That cut was then crossed to a Papaya Papaya plant by our neighbor at Pacific Roots Cannabis.” So rather than your normal Purple Punch, what MVS grows has some extra Papaya genetics in the mix. “We sometimes call it Purple Papaya,” said Dylan, “although she doesn’t always express purple unless the nights are especially cold late season.” That is due to the anthocyanins, flavonoids that cause plants to display bluish, purplish, or reddish colors, which are more stable at colder temperatures and cause more brilliant colors, like the blue in blueberries or the purple in Purple Papaya.
Papaya Punch Flavor, Effects, and Terpene Profile
Papaya Punch is an indica-dominant hybrid with a tropical flavor and relaxing effects. Papaya Punch’s medical uses include anxiety relief and pain management. Despite packing a punch — a Papaya Punch, if you will — and a high THC content, this strain is known for soothing effects without excessive euphoria.
Papaya Punch’s flavor profile has been described as sweet and fruity with a “delightful aroma that marries fruity and cheesy notes.” Seedfinder says the genetics were chosen for the “perfect Papaya terpene profile,” and that it is a visually striking plant with “lime-green frosty flowers with purple and pink accents,” which presumably would be more visible in colder temperatures.
While individual batches may vary, generally, the major terpenes in Papaya Punch are:
β-caryophyllene (found in black pepper and many other herbs, with a spicy, woody, mildly sweet scent)
Limonene (found in citrus fruit, with a citrus and floral scent)
Alpha humulene (found in hops, sage, and other herbs, with a spicy, woody, and earthy aroma)
Linalool (found in lavender, sweet basil, and other herbs with a sweet floral scent)
Beta pinene (found in pine needles, with a strong piney or alpine aroma)
The Green Rush Causes Growing Pains in the Mattole
Like many growing regions around California, the Lost Coast and the Mattole Valley suffered some growing pains during the Green Rush years (roughly 2012-2020), when newcomers flocked to remote areas with big dreams to strike it rich in cannabis, but instead went bust. While cannabis legalization activism started from the Back to the Land movement (for example, Dylan’s parents), many of the newcomers did not share the old timers eco-consciousness and instead were after profits over anything else. This created a new challenge for the Mattole Restoration Council and other local activists who had fought for years to limit water usage and protect the local environment (including those cute little frogs).
“Like most of Humboldt County, we experienced a huge influx of new farms during the ‘Green Rush,’” said Dylan, “That time was punctuated by conflict within our community regarding both the size of farms and the practices of some growers. We saw some really ugly things happening around us.” On the positive side, it “was a time of financial abundance for many as we had lots of money and people flowing through the valley.” Dylan notes that “since permitting under Prop 64, many of those farms are now gone or abandoned,” which means the times of conflict are largely in the past, but unfortunately “We have seen an incredible amount of attrition and continue to see farms going out of business.”
Growing For the Land Not Market Trends
In a recent Instagram Live which MVS did with Alpenglow farms, Dylan mentioned that he “made the decision two years ago to stop competing with folks doing things that don’t make sense for me and to work with the land and environment to do what is easier.” As it turns out, working with the land and your environment is a lot easier and more enjoyable than growing for market trends. “I’ve completely shifted away from growing the popular commercial strains that the distribution companies want to buy as bulk flower,” said Dylan, “I quit growing light dep altogether and stopped growing for the bulk flower market entirely at this point.” The flower that he does dry and trim now goes to Nasha “almost exclusively.”
So what does Dylan grow now instead of twenty types of Cookies and OG? He’s pivoted into growing almost exclusively for hashmaking, “The majority of my farm is now focused on growing the best genetics for both fresh frozen harvest for live rosin and cured flower for hash.” While some of his Papaya Punch, Blue Dream, and Jack is not being used for hash, it is “small batch, full term outdoor grown and is all destined for a packaging collaboration with Nasha.”