Frank Golfieri didn’t get into cannabis for the clout. He got into it because he was broke, curious, and wanted to smoke without emptying his wallet.
“We were smoking a lot and we’re like, obviously you’re kids, you don’t have a ton of money, so we asked, ‘How do we get this for cheap? Oh, we grow it,’” he said, recalling his high school years in the late ’90s.
What started as a seed-saving, DIY hustle grew into a full-blown obsession. Over the next two decades, Golfieri turned from an underground enthusiast into a genetics-savvy cultivator with a global network and a reputation for flavor-forward, high-performance flower.
Now, as Director of Cultivation at Insa, Golfieri is applying that lifelong passion to a multi-state operation, leading one of the most comprehensive phenotype selection and breeding programs on the East Coast. But he didn’t land the gig through traditional channels. He was brought in for his genetics, offered a chance to join the company in exchange for the rights to his library
“I said, ‘Help me get my foot in the door. Give me an opportunity to work for you guys, and obviously the genetics would be at your disposal.’”
He started at the bottom—cultivation tech—but climbed fast. Within two years, he was running the entire show, managing grow operations across Massachusetts, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Along the way, he redefined what an East Coast grower could be.
Hunting for Unicorns
Rather than simply cranking out mid-tier flower for the masses, Insa’s grow operation is a boutique genetic engine built at scale, and Golfieri is the mechanic. Phenohunting—the process of growing out dozens of seeds from a single cross to find that one perfect plant—is central to his ethos.
“Usually, I pop around 40 of ’em,” he said. “At first, it’s about structure, how it grows. Then bag appeal, yield, smell—and then you chop it and see if the terpene profile actually holds.”
But even once a phenotype hits every mark on paper, the final test is always the same: roll it up. Insa conducts blind smoke trials with its staff, handing out unlabeled samples and collecting feedback via QR codes.
“The smoke test is the biggest one,” said Golfieri. “If it doesn’t hit when you smoke it, I don’t care what the lab says.”
Each year, the top cultivars from the previous cycle are crossbred to push flavor, bag appeal, and effect even further. The result is a steady stream of proprietary strains like Grape Bambino and Lift Off that can’t be found anywhere else.
Not Just High THC—High Standards
While THC still drives market demand, Golfieri is determined to evolve beyond the potency arms race. “I’m a purist,” he said. “To me, it’s about the experience. High THC doesn’t mean much if it smokes dull.”
His breeding strategy takes a full-spectrum approach: flavor, terpene persistence, bag appeal, structure, yield, and yes, potency. “You can’t just hit one thing now,” he said. “It has to check every box.”
That includes lesser-known cannabinoids and minor terpene variations, which Insa maps meticulously.
“I keep a database that tracks terpene and cannabinoid levels on every cultivar. That way, when I want to improve something, I know what to cross it with. I might want to raise the linalool content or hit a specific limonene level for effect. But you still have to test it. The numbers can tell you one thing, but the smoke tells you the truth.”
Sustainability That Isn’t Just a Press Release
Golfieri isn’t interested in greenwashing. His take on sustainability is hands-on, trial-and-error, and often inconvenient. But it’s real.
“We use cocoa coir for most of our grows, and instead of dumping it, we work with local farms to reuse it. Same with our water. We treat, filter, sterilize it with UVC light, and reuse it.”
Insa’s facilities employ LED lighting at reduced wattage to cut energy draw, and they track consumption in real time to power down rooms when not in use. In Pennsylvania, regulations required them to treat water before discharge due to proximity to a river.
“That pushed us to adopt water reuse across the board,” according to Golfieri. “Now we’re implementing it in every state.”
Even clone trays and packaging are under scrutiny. “We used to throw out plastic clone trays, now we use reusable ones and sanitize them—and we’re looking at recyclable packaging constantly,” he said.
Still, he knows there’s more to do. “As this goes national, I think states will start mandating this stuff—water reuse, power limits, recyclable materials. And they should. You want to leave a better world for your kids.”
Genetics With Staying Power
The cannabis genetics market has become crowded with trendy strains and copycat menus, but Golfieri sees opportunity in originality. “Everyone has the same genetics right now,” he says. “Go to any store and you can find the same strain twenty times. So how do you differentiate? You make your own.”
His breeding program is relentless. Every cross is intentional, each year more refined than the last. He even dabbles in mapping terpene targets to reverse-engineer experiences. It’s part science, part art, and all about staying power.
“I want people to come to us because they can’t find it anywhere else,” he said. “That’s how you build brand loyalty.”
And he’s watching the cutting edge. CRISPR-engineered cannabis, genome sequencing, novel cannabinoids—it’s all on his radar. “I don’t want to say never to anything. Five years ago we didn’t think 40% THC flower was real. Now? Who knows.”
Also Read: How to Build New Revenue Paths for Burgeoning Cannabis Cultivators
The Legacy Is Local
Insa’s expansion into Pennsylvania, Florida, and now Ohio has given Golfieri a broader canvas, but his heart is still in the Northeast. “Massachusetts is the only place right now where we have both medical and rec,” he said. “But the whole region’s taking off. Jersey, New York, Maine—people are finally recognizing the East Coast scene. And it’s not just imports anymore. We’ve got our own identity.”
Golfieri is helping define that identity through craft, discipline, and a clear sense of purpose. He sees cannabis not just as a business, but as a cultural force—one that deserves better than hype and shortcuts.
“It’s not about politics. It’s not about numbers. It’s about doing the right thing—for the plant, the people, and the planet.”
And in Frank Golfieri’s grow rooms, that starts with one good seed.
