Royal Queen Seeds has supplied European cannabis growers with reliable genetics for decades. Their innovative approach and dedication to quality helped them to spearhead the industry and become the first to produce true cannabis F1 hybrids. Find out all there is to know about RQS, including their history and product quality.
Whether you grow cannabis already or are thinking of doing so in the near future, you’ve probably come across Royal Queen Seeds—one of the largest seed banks in Europe. It helps to know a little about a company and how it operates before spending money on their products or services. So, we’re going to guide you through every last detail about this seed bank, from their history and seed collection to their product quality and future projects. Continue reading to find out all you need to know about Royal Queen Seeds.
Who are Royal Queen Seeds?
Royal Queen Seeds (or RQS) operates using a very simple motto: “If you have the passion, you can grow quality genetics!”. Since their humble beginnings in 2007, they have sought to provide growers all over the world with tools to help them achieve successful harvests, including premium strains, tried and tested growing gear, carefully refined nutrient formulas, and hundreds of educational blogs. Their grower-centric approach has allowed them to reach great heights.
What started as a small group of breeders has now evolved into one of the largest seed banks in the world, with brick-and-mortar locations in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States. Their brave approach has kept them at the forefront of innovation, and the company became the first in the world to develop and release cannabis F1 hybrids.
But this is only the beginning for Royal Queen Seeds.
History of RQS
So, where did it all start? Well, the origins of Royal Queen Seeds took the form of a closely knit group of friends who bred and grew cannabis as a hobby. Based in the Netherlands, the team had access to some of the best genetics of the era and unlocked novel cannabinoid and terpene profiles by crossing their favourite varieties.
After growing out their novel strains and sharing buds with their friends, word of their quality plants quickly spread. Demand for their flowers increased, and the group started giving out seeds to their close circle. More people were exposed to their strains, and more cultivators wanted to grow them. Realising they were on to something, the team decided to formalise their efforts into a working business; they founded Royal Queen Seeds in 2007.
Things quickly accelerated, and RQS soon became one of the largest seed banks in Europe—and then the world. Check out the key moments that have defined their journey so far:
- 2010: Three years after founding the company, the team opened their first store at Damstraat in Amsterdam.
- 2011: One year later, Royal Queen Seeds established its website to extend its reach internationally.
- 2016: The company made big moves in 2016 by establishing themselves in Barcelona. Here, they have a store in the middle of the city, as well as a large headquarters dedicated to fulfilling orders, customer service, and content creation.
- 2023: RQS went intercontinental in 2023. They set up another headquarters and stores in Oregon on the West Coast of the US, and a large growing facility, store, and smoking lounge in Bangkok, Thailand.
Currently, Royal Queen Seeds operates in 17 countries and offers over 100 premium-quality strains.
Royal Queen Seeds: A multi-award-winning seed bank
Royal Queen Seeds’ activity in the world of weed has not gone unnoticed. At the end of 2023, representatives of the company boarded a plane to Las Vegas to attend the EMJAYS. The prestigious black-tie event, with over 20 award categories, aims to shine a light on businesses and individuals who have made great strides in the cannabis industry. While there, RQS received the most valued award on offer: Seed Bank of the Year. Outside of their success at the EMJAYS, RQS has developed a multitude of strains that have gone on to win various cannabis cup awards, including Royal Haze Automatic, OG Kush, Euphoria, and Cookies Gelato Auto.
Where is Royal Queen Seeds based?
Royal Queen Seeds operates both online and in the real world. Currently, the business is headquartered in the hills of Barcelona, where they spend their time creating content, strategising, and developing the vision of the company. But RQS has spread all over the world.
The Royal Queen Seeds website
As the cornerstone of their business, Royal Queen Seeds’ website has enabled them to interact with, and distribute their products to, the world. Their online seed bank offers dozens of unique strains in numerous categories, including feminized photoperiod, autoflowering, and high-CBD. Each strain has its own data sheet that lets growers learn everything about a cultivar before they buy seeds, including flowering time, yields, flavour, average THC content, and potential effects.
RQS offers many perks on their website, including their Growers Club. Membership in this programme allows growers to earn “green coins” when they shop, which they can exchange for discounts and exclusive products. "Level points" are also earned through purchases, and elevate growers through different tiers of the Growers Club programme.
Their website has also helped countless growers transition from novices into horticultural veterans. The company has published hundreds of blog articles that help growers through every step of the process, from germinating seeds to harvesting flowers. Their articles also help readers solve common issues, including pest infestations, nutrient deficiencies, and diseases.
RQS stores
Royal Queen Seeds is currently operating out of three brick-and-mortar stores. Check out the locations below and learn when to expect when you visit them:
- Amsterdam: Situated in the heart of the city and staffed by friendly and knowledgeable weed lovers, this store offers a wide range of premium seeds and smoking gear.
- Barcelona: Located near the world-famous Las Ramblas, their Barcelona store not only offers a sunnier location, but sells everything from vapes, bongs, and growing products to merch, seeds, and other accessories.
- Bangkok: RQS’ Bangkok store represents just how far the seed bank has come. This giant five-story mega-facility sells flowers straight out of the jar and features a cosy smoking lounge and growing facility.
Stores all over the world, from Nebraska to Naples, stock and sell Royal Queen Seeds products. You can find them using the RQS store locator.
The Royal Queen Seeds seed collection
After decades of breeding, RQS has developed genetics that belong to essentially every growing category. The business proudly asserts that all of its seeds derive from organic mother plants, are hand-picked to ensure premium quality, and are regularly tested for vigour and germination rates. Let’s take a deeper look into the seed categories on offer at RQS.
F1 hybrid seeds
Royal Queen Seeds made history by developing and releasing the first true cannabis F1 hybrids. These varieties stem from a lengthy breeding process that involves creating two highly pure inbred lines. Crossing these lines results in plants that feature hybrid vigour—a trait that gives rise to huge yields, massive levels of THC, unparalleled uniformity, and unmatched pest and disease resistance. So far, their range includes speedy autoflowering varieties that are stronger and more productive than standard auto strains, such as:
- Milky Way F1
- Titan F1
- Medusa F1
- Epsilon F1
USA Premium cannabis seeds
The USA has long spearheaded the world of breeding, producing some of the most potent and flavourful varieties available. Inspired by their efforts, breeders at Royal Queen Seeds developed their own versions of legendary US varieties, using the same breeding stock that gave rise to the originals. Loaded with THC and sweet terpene profiles, these strains include:
- Blue Gelato
- Biscotti
- Cereal Milk
- Gushers
Feminized cannabis seeds
Feminized seeds form the core of RQS’ seed catalogue. Their massive collection includes strains with a diversity of traits, from high-THC and high-CBD varieties to towering sativa-dominant strains and compact indica-dominant cultivars. Despite their differences, all of these varieties share one thing in common: all seeds will grow into flowering female plants. This removes the need for growers to keep a lookout for male specimens that can reduce the quality of a harvest by fertilising female buds. Some of RQS’ most popular feminized seeds include:
- Royal Gorilla
- Royal Cookies
- Amnesia Haze
- Shining Silver Haze
Autoflowering cannabis seeds
Royal Queen Seeds has helped to cement the popularity of autoflowering genetics. Older autos offered quick growing times and compact structures but lacked flavour, potency, and yields. RQS fixed this issue, and many of their award-winning autoflowering strains produce more terpenes and THC than many photoperiod varieties. Some of their top autos include:
- Royal Cookies Auto
- Royal Runtz Auto
- Cherry Pie Auto
- Cookies Gelato Auto
CBD cannabis seeds
As their name suggests, these seeds grow into plants that contain high levels of CBD. Unlike THC, this cannabinoid doesn’t produce a high. Instead, CBD generates a clear-headed and relaxing effect. RQS’ CBD strains vary in their CBD content; some include only trace levels of THC and produce no high, whereas others harbour equal levels of both cannabinoids to produce a balanced effect. Their high-CBD cultivars include the likes of:
- Royal Highness
- Medical Mass
- Tatanka Pure CBD
- Solomatic CBD
Regular cannabis seeds
A relatively new addition to the Royal Queen Seeds lineup, regular seeds offer more advanced growers the opportunity to experiment with breeding. These seeds have a 50/50 chance of emerging as male or female. Growing male plants enables growers to collect pollen and cross strains to make brand-new botanical creations.
Royal Queen Seeds: Cannabis seed quality
Royal Queen Seeds has developed a fantastic reputation for their seed quality. By hand-picking and testing their seeds, they’ve managed to ensure superb germination rates and virile mature plants that produce rewarding yields. According to the review site Ekomi, RQS has received over 35,000 ratings and earned a 4.7/5 star rating for the quality of its products.
The Royal Queen Seeds shopping experience
First impressions are everything, and this rule also applies to e-commerce. So, what can you expect when shopping for seeds and supplies with Royal Queen Seeds? Find out below!
RQS website user experience
The RQS home page features a striking banner displaying the latest offers and a link to their seed catalogue. Above this sits a colourful navigation bar with links to different seed categories:
- Feminized seeds
- Autoflower seeds
- CBD seeds
- F1 hybrid seeds
- USA Premium seeds
- Regular Seeds
Each category features its own colour scheme. For example, green designates the auto category, whereas pink highlights feminized seeds. This colour-coded system allows for easy browsing, and it also transfers over to their product packaging.
People from many different countries can easily browse and shop at the RQS website and enjoy their educational material thanks to a team of professional translators who have made their content available in the following languages:
- English
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Italian
- Dutch
- Belgian
- Catalan
- Czech
- Polish
- Russian
- Portuguese
- Finnish
- Hungarian
- Swedish
- Greek
- Romanian
- Danish
The website features a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connection that provides shoppers with a secure and encrypted means of transferring their data. The comforting lock icon to the left of the URL indicates potential hackers won't be able to see personal information. Plus, internet service providers can't snoop on additional pages that customers decide to visit.
Special offers and promotions
Royal Queen Seeds is constantly treating its customer base to offers that make growing more affordable and shopping more exciting. Simply scroll down and look for their fixed offers on the left side of the screen:
- Spend €25: One free seed, grinder, and stickers
- Spend €50: Three free seeds, a grinder, stickers, and smoking papers
- Spend €75: Five free seeds, a grinder, stickers, smoking papers, and a lighter
- Spend €110: Eight free seeds, a grinder, stickers, smoking papers, and a lighter
- Spend €135: Ten free seeds, a grinder, stickers, smoking papers, a lighter, and posters
RQS also frequently launches flash sales and special promotions that focus on specific strains. For example, events such as “Cookie Days” offer 30% off all Cookies cultivars for a set time, and provide free seeds to growers who spend over a certain amount during the promotion.
Payment
After browsing their website and loading up your virtual cart, you’ll come across three different secure payment options:
- Credit card
- Bank transfer
- Cryptocurrency
All Internet shoppers are familiar with using credit cards and bank transfers during online transactions. While using cryptocurrencies to buy items remains less popular, these digital currencies are accepted by many different outlets, including Royal Queen Seeds. You can pay using the following cryptocurrencies on the RQS website:
- Bitcoin
- BitCanna
Shipping
Royal Queen Seeds sends products all over Europe, to Chile in South America, and the United States. Overall, the company offers three shipping options:
- Free shipping
- UPS standard shipping
- UPS access point
Delivery times vary depending on where in the world shoppers live, but RQS provides clear estimation times upon order. Customers also have the choice of two packaging options. The standard packaging option is free, and items are sent in a discreet cardboard box, with no decorative touches that could hint at the package’s content. The stealth packaging option costs an additional €5 and sends items in a DVD case to further disguise what’s inside.
Royal Queen Seeds blog
Royal Queen Seeds has a team of writers and editors dedicated to producing content on every subject related to cannabis. You’ll find educational blogs related to growing, breaking news about cannabis legislation, recipes, and much more. Some of the key content categories include:
- Cannabis strains: Take a deep dive into specific strains to discover their effects, flavours, and growing tips.
- Plant troubleshooting: Learn to diagnose and treat common plant issues, including nutrient deficiencies, powdery mildew, root rot, aphid infestations, fungus gnat problems, and much more.
- Grow guides: Discover best practices when it comes to germination, lighting, nutrient regimens, harvesting, and drying and curing.
- Cannabis pop culture: Get the latest information on cannabis laws, discover the best coffeeshops and dispensaries to visit when travelling, and try out some of the best cannabis-based recipes available.
Social media
Royal Queen Seeds is present on major social media platforms. Follow the links below to stay up to date with techniques, new products, and promotions:
What’s on the horizon for Royal Queen Seeds?
Royal Queen Seeds has gone from strength to strength in recent years. They’ve ticked off some of their biggest achievements recently, including winning Seed Bank of the Year at the 2023 EMJAYS and developing the first cannabis F1 hybrids. But they aren’t slowing down anytime soon. The company has just teamed up with Mike Tyson’s weed brand Tyson 2.0 to release his tailored-made seeds to the market. They also have a long list of new strains set for release during 2024.
Conclusion: Is Royal Queen Seeds legit?
Royal Queen Seeds has supplied premium-quality genetics to growers throughout Europe and beyond for decades. In recent years, they have pioneered breeding innovation with the creation of the first F1 hybrids. But in many ways, they are more than just a seed bank. The company also provides essential growing gear and publishes a constant stream of educational content. RQS aims to cater to all growers by providing easy strains and grow guides to beginners, and more challenging genetics and advanced information to horticultural veterans. Overall, Royal Queen Seeds has played an important role in the European cannabis community, and has recently expanded its reach to the United States and Southeast Asia.
