GENETICS

Purple Porn: from a Los Angeles grow room to DC and Johannesburg

The story of Bellacanna’s proprietary strain — where it came from, what it’s built on, and where it’s headed next.

October 2026 · 3 min read

Every strain starts somewhere. Purple Porn started in Los Angeles, in a grow room run by master cultivator Sydney Hall.

Born in Los Angeles

Sydney was cultivating in LA, one of the most competitive cannabis markets in the world, when she and Bellacanna set out to develop a strain of their own. The goal wasn’t to chase the strain of the month. It was to create something proprietary: genetics Bellacanna owns, can grow consistently, and can build a brand around.

Built on Ice Cream Cake

Purple Porn comes from Double Ice Cream Cake genetics. Ice Cream Cake, a cross of Wedding Cake and Gelato #33, is one of the best-known dessert strains, prized by growers and consumers alike for its rich, sweet profile. Purple Porn takes that foundation and makes it Bellacanna’s own.

Developing a proprietary strain is patient work. It means growing out plants, selecting the standouts, and refining them until each harvest is true to type. That’s the difference between a one-off crop and a strain you can stand behind year after year.

Why genetics matter to an investment firm

For Bellacanna, a strain like Purple Porn is intellectual capital, one of the three kinds of capital we bring to every venture. Owning genetics gives us something no one else can sell: a consistent, recognizable product with a brand attached. It’s an asset that can travel.

Next stops: Washington, DC and Johannesburg

Our goal is to see Purple Porn flourish in the two markets we know best. In Washington, DC, that means growing it through licensed cultivation within the District’s regulated program. In South Africa, where the rules for commercial cannabis are still being written, it means bringing the strain to market as the legal framework allows.

Two markets, one strain, and a team on the ground in both. From an LA grow room to DC and Johannesburg, Purple Porn is a good example of what Bellacanna is built to do: take something proven, own it, and carry it across borders.