The history of Green House Seeds coffeeshops began in 1992, when Arjan Roskam, known as the «Cannabis King,» opened the first coffeeshop, The Green House, at Tolstraat 91 in Amsterdam-South. This was shortly after Roskam began experimenting with exotic cannabis strains from trips to Thailand, Nepal, and other countries and earned his first income.
The coffeeshop quickly became popular thanks to its high-quality product and unique atmosphere—it even served alcohol, a rarity for such establishments.
The success of the first coffeeshop was reinforced by victories at the prestigious High Times Cannabis Cup: in 1993, Green House won the overall category, and in 1994, it won in almost every category. This attracted international press attention, including High Times, which featured Arjan on its cover in 1995, and celebrity attention, which contributed to the chain’s expansion.
Today, Green House has four coffeeshops and two clubs in Amsterdam, including its flagship on the Tolstraat, as well as other locations such as Green House on the canal near the Red Quarter and Greenhouse United.
The coffeeshops and Green House itself were originally founded by Roskam in partnership with other prominent figures in the cannabis industry, including Nevil Schoenmakers, an Australian breeder and founder of the first cannabis seed bank, The Seed Bank. Schoenmakers co-founded and helped manage the coffeeshops, contributing to the development of strains such as Super Silver Haze, which won Cannabis Cup victories.
In 1998, Shanti-Baba (Scott Blakey), another co-founder of the company, sold his stake to Roskam, allowing him to become the sole owner of Green House Seed Company. Similarly, around 1999–2000, Schoenmakers sold his stake in one of the coffee shops to Roskam. According to industry insiders, serious disagreements arose between Schoenmakers and Roskam, including conflicts over management and genetics. These conflicts escalated into a desire to split the business.
The split took about two years, and after Schoenmakers’ departure, the quality of Green House products, according to some critics, declined—the company was even disqualified from the Cannabis Cup for attempting to bribe the jury.
Currently, Roskam remains the chain’s majority owner, but he has partners such as Joachim «Joa» Helms, co-owner of the legendary Green House coffee shop and a cannabis activist.
In 2016–2017, Green House Seed Company entered into partnerships with American brands (such as O.penVAPE and Canopy Growth), but these were for products, not coffee shops.
The Green House chain remains one of the most influential in Amsterdam, despite tightened regulations for coffee shops.