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The CannaSwissCup is far more than just a competition – it is the beating heart of an entire movement. When we look at the bulging jury cards and shiny trophies today, we often forget how wild and revolutionary it all began. It’s time to take a look at the eventful CannaSwissCup history and thank the people who keep this piece of Swiss weed culture alive.
How it all began: Mini-Grips and a wild party in Ittigen
The brilliant idea of organizing a cup for the best Swiss cannabis was born in 1998 at a meeting of the Swiss Hemp Coordination. The association was founded in the same year. The vision was as simple as it was ingenious: the consumers themselves should vote on which strain they liked best. At that time, everything still revolved around THC cannabis. As the laws in Switzerland still allowed it, the varieties could not be officially consumed, but could be rated according to “appearance and aroma”.
Six producers submitted their outdoor varieties. These were glued onto a jury card in tiny mini-grips and sold in Swiss hemp stores. The award ceremony took place on the occasion of the first Swiss Hemp Days in spring 1999 at the Stufenbau in Ittigen. It was a legendary party with music, stalls, food and, of course, lots of smoke. The varieties were judged by the jury members according to appearance and taste. Of course, they adhered to the official protocol: The flowers were exclusively ‘stared at’ intensely and not smoked under any circumstances 😉! The first winner of the CannaSwissCup was the Valais cannabis pioneer Bernard Rappaz with his legendary “Valais Queen”
From Bern to the world: the birth of CannaTrade
The event was a huge success and was continued in 2000 with eight participating varieties. The prizes were again awarded at the Swiss Hemp Days, this time as a supporting program of a small hemp fair with exhibitors from Switzerland and abroad. From these Swiss Hemp Days, the very first CannaTrade finally emerged in 2001 on the grounds of the BEA Expo in Bern – today known to be the oldest hemp fair still in existence in the world.
The Cup continued to grow, with twelve outdoor varieties taking part at peak times. However, increasing repression from 2005 onwards unfortunately forced the CannaSwissCup association to end its activities. The Cup sank into a long slumber.
Just like Dornrösschen, however, the CUP also woke up again and in 2016 the first innovative growers brought legal CBD flowers onto the market and Switzerland began to grow cannabis again: With this huge supply, of course the legendary CannaSwissCup has to return. The response to the producers’ requests for a re-launch was overwhelming.
A cute fun fact on the side
Another little anecdote that shows how pragmatic and humorous the pioneers were back then. Shortly before the start of an earlier CannaTrade, Ben Arn and Marco Kuhn were suddenly faced with a huge hurdle: The regulations were changed at such short notice that all the plants in the exhibition hall had to be made “inedible” for smoking.
Instead of fumbling around for a long time, the problem was solved creatively without further ado: they grabbed a can of gold paint and sprayed the green gold on the grounds. As you can see in the picture, the trade fair sparkled like a treasure trove afterwards, but smoking was definitely off the table. A real piece of hemp history that proves it: When the going gets tough, Marco and Ben always know how to help themselves – even if the solution is sometimes shiny gold!
A word of honor to Marco Kuhn and the CannaSwissCup story
Behind this success lies an enormous amount of passion, countless efforts and a few hurdles. One name that stands out in particular is Marco Kuhn. He has made a significant contribution to keeping the Swiss hemp culture alive and, above all, developing it professionally. What he has done for the scene deserves our utmost respect. We at Herba di Berna would like to take this opportunity to thank Marco for his tireless commitment, his ambition and also for that pinch of stubbornness that has made this cup what it is today. After all, we are talking here about the absolute crème de la crème of hash and weed varieties – then from Switzerland, now at top international level.
2026: The CannaSwissCup goes international!
A new chapter is being opened for the 2025/26 season. Due to increasing demand, the Cup is being advertised internationally for the first time so that Swiss producers can compete with Europe’s elite. As every year, the award ceremony will take place on May 30, 2026 at CannaTrade in Zurich.
Become part of the jury with Herba di Berna
We need you to make this event a complete success! You can secure the highly coveted jury member tickets in our store. Rate the varieties and help decide the winners. To get you in the perfect mood for the tasting, you will of course also find the best weed and first-class hash in our shop to get you in the right mood for the big event.
FAQ zum CannaSwissCup Geschichte
Was war die ursprüngliche Idee hinter dem Wettbewerb?
The idea was born in 1998 at a meeting of the Swiss Hemp Coordination to allow consumers to vote for the best cannabis. At that time, six outdoor varieties were glued onto jury cards in mini-grips and sold. The first winners were chosen at a legendary party at the Stufenbau in Ittigen.
Welche Produkte werden am CannaSwissCup genau bewertet?
The registered strains compete against each other in four top-class categories: Indoor, Outdoor, Greenhouse and Hash. To guarantee maximum safety and quality, a certified laboratory rigorously tests all entries in advance for THC limits, pesticides and synthetic cannabinoids. Only after this uncompromising control do the absolute top products end up on your jury cards.
Warum gab es nach 2005 eine Pause in der CannaSwissCup Geschichte?
With the increasing repression in Switzerland, the CannaSwissCup association was unfortunately forced to stop its activities completely. The boom in legal CBD flowers in 2016 then made a brilliant comeback possible. Today, the Cup is more present than ever due to the overwhelming interest of producers.
Wie läuft der aktuelle CannaSwissCup 2025/26 ab?
Due to the high demand, the current competition is being held internationally for the first time so that European growers can take part. The anonymized varieties will be evaluated by the crowd jury, which will receive the products in advance via the jury cards. The festive award show will take place on May 30, 2026 at CannaTrade in Zurich. Each CannaSwissCup jury card also includes a free day ticket for CannaTrade, so the jury members can experience the award show live.
List of sources:
- Official website of the CannaSwissCup
- History of the CannaSwissCup association
- Personal discussions and internal background information from Marco Kuhn (CannaSwissCup Association)