At a glance
What Storz & Bickel is
Storz & Bickel is a German vaporizer manufacturer best known for the Volcano desktop system and the Mighty family of portable devices. It builds hot-air generators for dried plant material and concentrates; it does not cultivate cannabis or sell cannabis oil. Consumer devices and separately regulated medical-device versions should not be conflated.
Markus Storz and the Volcano
Markus Storz began developing herbal hot-air generators in 1996. A patent for the Volcano's detachable balloon followed in 1999, and the Volcano Classic reached market in 2000. Its combination of controlled heating, a filling chamber and removable vapor balloon made it one of the most recognizable early desktop vaporizers.
Jürgen Bickel and company formation
Jürgen Bickel joined as a partner in 2002, when the formal Storz & Bickel company was established. A U.S. subsidiary followed in Oakland in 2005. The founders built the business from Tuttlingen, Germany, a center for medical-device manufacturing.
Desktop product line
The Volcano Classic remains the mechanical-temperature-control flagship. The electronically controlled Volcano Digit arrived in 2007, and the Volcano Hybrid followed in 2019 with faster heating, touchscreen controls and both balloon and whip-style inhalation. The Plenty is a corded handheld hot-air generator introduced in 2011.
Portable product line
Storz & Bickel launched the Mighty and Crafty in 2014, later updating the Crafty to Crafty+. The Venty adds adjustable airflow and rapid heat-up, while the 2025 Veazy is positioned as the company's smallest, most accessible portable. Product availability, firmware, app support and included parts vary by market and generation.
Medical-device and quality systems
The company obtained ISO 13485 quality-management certification in 2009 and manufactures medically approved Volcano Medic and Mighty Medic variants for regulated markets. ISO certification concerns the quality system; it does not mean every consumer model is a medical device or that vaporization is risk-free.
Canopy Growth acquisition
Canopy Growth acquired Storz & Bickel in December 2018 in an all-cash transaction valued at up to approximately €145 million. The brand remains a Canopy subsidiary. That ownership change did not erase the founders' product history, but current financial and strategic claims should be checked against Canopy's newest filings.
Leadership transition in 2026
After roughly 25 years in company leadership, Jürgen Bickel transitioned out of the managing-director role effective April 1, 2026. David Männer, a 14-year company veteran and former deputy managing director, succeeded him. Markus Storz remains the originating inventor in the historical record.
Research notes and claim limits. This profile uses the manufacturer's chronology, product and support materials plus Canopy's acquisition and leadership disclosures. “Gold standard,” performance and medical language is attributed or narrowly described. Buyers should match voltage, region, warranty and official medical classification to the exact device. No profile-wide health claim or risk-free inhalation claim is made.