Why Exotic Matter’s tiny grow is beating big weed in Michigan
From half-ounce flower to two-gram rosin jars, the passionate crew is proving that small-scale can still dominate dispensary shelves
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In 2009, Jesse Rose and a small group of friends began growing medical marijuana in a pole barn in Michigan, driven by a passion for quality cannabis.
Sixteen years later, their company, Exotic Matter, is widely regarded as one of Michigan’s best small-scale cultivators, known for producing premium flower and live rosin.
Unlike many of the hundreds of licensed cultivators in Michigan, Exotic Matter maintains an intentionally limited production, growing about 500 indoor plants at its facility in Kalkaska. This results in roughly 10 to 15 pounds per strain.
“We put out a tiny amount compared to everyone else in the state,” Rose, founder of Exotic Matter, tells me. “For the customer, we’re there to give them a good time. They’ve had a long day, and they want to enjoy good herb.”
Exotic Matter’s cannabis is so popular it rarely remains on dispensary shelves for long, which is rare at a time when the state is saturated with weed.
Without deep-pocketed investors, Exotic Matter started slowly and scaled up, creating a growing and loyal customer base.
“We are really owner-operators in the true sense of the word,” Rose says. “Because of the way we did it, we funded it ourselves. We don’t have investors; we have no one we have to answer to.”
Exotic Matter’s small-scale operation allows the team to pay close attention to each plant. With only 500 plants growing at a time, it’s easier to adjust the environment, check for problems, and make sure the flower is at peak quality.
That kind of care is nearly impossible at large grows, where automated systems and high volume often sacrifice consistency and quality.
Exotic Matter also cures its flower in small batches and hand-trims each bud, a labor-intensive process that helps preserve trichomes and terpenes that are often lost in machine-trimmed or rushed harvests.
Exotic Matter is also unique because most of its flower is sold in sleekly designed, half-ounce glass jars, each of which is priced between $85 and $100. The ability to so quickly sell out of half-ounce jars speaks to Exotic Matter’s reputation for producing consistently high-quality cannabis.
Previously, the company sold cannabis primarily in eighth-ounce mylar bags. A few dispensaries sell Exotic Matter in the deli. With prices plummeting in Michigan, Rose says it became a good time to offer half-ounce jars.
“As prices go down, the amount of product that real smokers want is bigger,” Rose says. “It allows people to buy something they’re stoked on.”
And he’s right. While prices and total sales numbers continue to decline, dispensaries are selling more cannabis than ever. It’s just cheaper.
And in that competitive environment, brands that prioritize quality over quantity, like Exotic Matter, are separating themselves from the pack.
Exotic Matter divides its flower offerings into two main selections: Candy World and Exclusives. Candy World features candy-flavored strains such as Blueberry Z, Cali Red Runtz, Cali Blue Runtz, Lemon Cherry Runtz, and Blue Cherry Gelato.
“They’re very popular strains,” Ty Decoeur, who handles sales and marketing, says. “We like to say, ‘It’s a candy world. We’re just living in it.’”
Blueberry Z
I got my hands on a jar of Blueberry Z and was very impressed. The buds were covered in trichomes and burst with a tart flavor of blueberry candy. A cross between the legendary DJ Short Blueberry and Zkittlez, this is one of those strains that is both flavorful and potent.
Exotic Matter’s Exclusives selection includes unique strains bred in-house, such as Sour Mochi (Mochi Gelato x Sour Diesel), Red Bullz #17 (Grape Gas x White Runtz), Lemon Cherry Gelato (Runtz x Gelonade), Blue Yuzu (classified), Umami Yuzu (Pave x Gelonade), and several others developed from exhaustive hunts for the best phenotypes.
Another standout strain from the Exclusives line is Headmaster Kush, a mysterious hybrid first discovered by the team in a random bag from California in 2009. Its flavor profile is complex, featuring watermelon, gasoline, cheese, pine, and hops. It became the first plant Exotic Matter cloned, and it’s still one of the company’s most sought-after strains.
“It’s unlike anything we’ve ever grown,” Rose says. “People love it.”
Exotic Matter also specializes in live rosin, a solventless concentrate known for its purity and potency. Priced at about $50 for two grams, Exotic Matter’s rosin offers exceptional value compared to market rates often ranging from $35 to $70 per gram for high-quality rosin.
“Fifty dollars for two grams is crazy for how good they are,” Decoeur says. “The goal is for you to walk home and say, ‘That is fucking awesome to get that for that price.’”
Indeed, that’s how I felt.
Rose and his crew produce their rosin from the 1,500 plants they grow outdoors on terraced land along an ancient creek bed feeding into the Manistee River. The land has been in Rose’s family for more than a century.
“We’re going to do a lot of new exciting crosses for rosin,” Rose says. “We aren’t going to expand the farm. We’re just going to make it better.”
I sampled four rosin strains from Exotic Matter, and each one was flavorful, smooth, and uniform, and they all packed a punch. Full of fruity flavors, they also happen to be perfect summer strains. The two-gram jars are glass and colorfully packaged.
Papaya
With a clean, tropical fruit aroma, Papaya was one of my favorites. The badder is smooth, creamy, and easy to handle, with a nice light-yellow hue. The high was deeply relaxing and ideal for a late afternoon or evening, or anytime you want to zone out and just enjoy life.
Caribbean Cooler
Caribbean Cooler smells and tastes like ripe tropical fruit spiked with a hint of funk. It’s soft and creamy to the touch, with a smooth consistency. The high came on quickly and left me feeling relaxed and carefree.
Orange Yuzu
A cross of Superboof and Gelonade, this one hits with a bold citrus punch right out of the jar. The rosin has a smooth, creamy texture and that ideal light-yellow color you love to see in rosin. The high was bright, happy, and perfect for any time of day you need a lift up.
Purple Drank
From the first whiff, this combination of Papaya and OZ Melon lives up to its name. The aroma is sour grape candy, with a hint of sweet syrup. The rosin has a bright, wet look and is easy to work with. The high is smooth and settles into a relaxed, full-body calm.
While many cultivators churn out mass-produced, low-cost cannabis, Exotic Matter stands out for its focus on small-batch quality and attention to detail. When the crew is unhappy with how a strain turned out, it’s not sold.
“It really hurts your brand for people to spend their hard-earned money to buy bullshit,” Rose says. “We’re just trying to keep weed fun and put out stuff that we would be happy to buy.”
In addition to cultivation, the Exotic Matter crew operates The Trap, a popular dispensary in Muskegon.
The company also organizes Michigan’s Zalympix, an annual cannabis competition attracting top growers and rosin producers statewide. Participants judge brands in categories like Best Looking, Best Tasting, Heaviest Hitting, and Gassiest. In 2024, the competition included 24 flower brands and 14 rosin brands. Zalympix is coming back this year, with an announcement coming soon.
Decoeur says the working environment at Exotic Matter is uniquely rewarding.
“It feels like we’re just working on this dope project with the homies,” he says. “It’s really crazy.”
