Michigan’s tastiest weed might be growing inside an old horse barn near Ann Arbor

Glacier Cannabis turned a humble horse barn in rural Manchester into a small-batch cultivation hub that’s cranking out thousands of pounds of Michigan’s tastiest weed.

MANCHESTER—The road to Glacier Cannabis feels like a detour. 

Rolling fields, forests, farms, and gravel stretches don’t exactly scream “cannabis powerhouse.” But tucked inside a converted horse barn on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, Andrew Sereno and his 20-person team are quietly producing some of the most flavorful marijuana in Michigan.

Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom

Sereno started Glacier after several years working within the state’s medical caregiver system. And his vision hasn’t changed much since: keep it small, keep it clean, and let the plant shine.

Just three full-time cultivation staff oversee a dozen grow rooms on a rolling harvest schedule, ensuring fresh jars hit shelves across more than 100 dispensaries at the lowest price possible.

At only $100 an ounce, their Super Boof has become a permanent staple of my personal stash. So, I invited myself over for a tour to learn more about the brand, their plant-first ethos, and their nostalgic yeti mascot that’s been winning over Michigan stoners one joint at a time.

“We put the plant on a pedestal,” Sereno told me. “If we do right by the plant, it’ll do right by us.”

From caregivers to connoisseurs

Before Glacier became one of Michigan’s most reliable and affordable flower brands, Sereno was deep in the caregiver market—growing in basements and garages, dialing in his craft long before the state had a regulated cannabis industry. Sereno even did a stint budtending at Arborside in Ann Arbor, back when medical shops were still operating in a legal gray area.

He nearly walked a different path. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he earned a full ride to the California Institute of Technology for a PhD in chemical engineering. But after a few months in Pasadena, Sereno said he realized that big tech culture just wasn’t for him. 

“ I was like: ‘Holy f**k. I really don’t like these people,” Sereno told me during the tour last week. “I just didn’t vibe with any of it. Plus, the cannabis industry was really popping off back in Michigan, and my girlfriend was here, too. So, I just packed up and came back home.”

Once he returned, Sereno kept growing and consulting before stumbling upon a foreclosed barn in Sharon Township. And by sheer luck, the township happened to have four licenses available for cultivation facilities. Sereno and his team snagged the last one. Glacier was born.

“It was f**king luck, dude. The stars just aligned and my dream came true,” Sereno said. “Plus, it’s really nice to be out here growing in the country rather than industrial or in the city. We get to do things our way, which is really awesome—and we all have a really good time doing it. 

Small rooms, big yields

Unlike big corporate grows that cram dozens of different strains into cavernous warehouses, Glacier’s barn is divided into more than a dozen smaller, redundant rooms—each monocropped and dialed in for consistency. That means no homogenization where everything ends up tasting the same. It also means a constantly rotating supply instead of a giant, boom-or-bust harvest.

Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom

Sereno said fine-tuning the air, moisture, light and nutrient schedules has also helped him cut down “veg time,” a period of rapid plant growth that usually lasts weeks, into a five-day frenzy. With just three employees tending nearly 6,000 plants, the efficiency is shocking—and all part of what allows Glacier to wholesale its ounces to dispensaries at such affordable prices. 

“ Facilities with the same production might have 12 people with more lights, more plants, and still way less output,” Sereno explained. “That’s the crazy part about this whole thing.”

But efficiency isn’t the only secret sauce.

Glacier also mixes glacial rock dust into its soil, a nod to the land’s Ice Age history and a way to feed plants with extra minerals. The team keeps a wide rotation of strains in the mix—everything from fruity exotics to old-school staples—so each jar carries its own character.

Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom

And while some buyers still chase THC numbers, Sereno said the real magic comes from terpenes, the aromatic compounds that shape both flavor and effects. By letting each strain fully express its terpene profile, Glacier keeps its flower flavorful, varied, and unmistakably fresh.

At the end of the day, Sereno admits he could probably ask for more cash for his harvest, but greed simply has no bearing on his business model. It’s about getting good weed to the people.

“If I try to sell you a $50 eighth, the bar is so high you’re probably going to be disappointed,” Sereno said. “But if I sell you a $20 eighth of Glacier, you’re never gonna be sad about that.”

The Yeti in the room

Of course, no story about Glacier is complete without mentioning Bumble, the fuzzy, nostalgic mascot that was lifted straight from the Island of Misfit Toys. Sereno said his team discovered the Yeti had slipped out of copyright and immediately adopted him as the brand’s ambassador.

Courtesy/Glacier Cannabis

Nowadays, Bumble shows up for vendor days, budtender training events, and photo shoots. He’s totally on-brand for the Glacier vibe, silly, approachable, and unmistakably familiar—the kind of character that taps into the same nostalgia baked into the cannabis experience itself.

“Cannabis should be fun,” Sereno said. “Bumble helps us keep it that way.”

Growing for the future

Six years into business, Glacier has moved from a scrappy barn grow into a vertically integrated brand with its first retail shop now open in Big Rapids. The team also has their eyes on expanding cultivation at the Manchester site—plus the possibility of direct-from-farm delivery. 

They’re even eyeing another Midwestern state for a second act. But at the core, the mission hasn’t changed: keep the plant first, keep the prices accessible, and keep the flower fresh.

“This plant has been around for millennia. It’s so much smarter than we could ever be,” Sereno said. “We’re cultivators first. We’re not here to extract value. We’re here to grow things.”

Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom

Glacier’s not chasing hype or playing the gimmick game. They’re just betting that if they keep prioritizing the plant and keep jars affordable, Michigan smokers will keep coming back. It’s rare to find a brand that takes itself this seriously while keeping the price this low. In a market that’s crowded with plenty of gimmicks and shortcuts, Glacier is proof that some of the best weed doesn’t have to come with a markup—just a little love, patience, and a big old barn full of plants.

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