These 2 men are changing the cannabis market in Germany – CannaZen.de Interview

After just a few weeks, CannaZen is already one of the big players in a completely new market that you may not even know about yet: You can order medical cannabis online! No social club, no home-growing, with this start-up your cannabis is delivered directly to your home. From idea to successful start-up, they share their vision, challenges and plans for the future with us. How does the platform work and what makes it unique? A look behind the scenes of a company that is increasingly shaping the market for medical cannabis in Germany.

CannaZen: From idea to start-up

These 2 men are changing the cannabis market in Germany with CannaZen. In the interview, you can find out more about the founding story, the challenges, but also the future of the cannabis market and why Stephan wants to deliver with drones soon.

Editor’s note: Stephan Czaja is also the owner of FIV Magazine.

FIV: David, Stephan, nice of you to take the time. How do you start the day before you get to CannaZen?

David Krems: My mornings usually start with exercise – whether it’s a short run or half an hour at the gym. It gets me going and gives me energy for the day. Then I have a balanced breakfast, often with fruit and yogurt, so that I can start the day well fortified. We had over a thousand orders in the first week alone – you can’t have enough energy!

Stephan Czaja: I like to start the day with a tour of the city center, I like to walk – that’s often where the best ideas come from. Then I sit down with a cappuccino, what projects are on the agenda? Which meetings are particularly important? This gives me an immediate overview and a structured start to the working day. So I can still learn a lot from David’s sporting energy!

Founder story: From BBQ to startup

FIV: Let’s move on to CannaZen. How did the idea of setting up a platform for medical cannabis come about?

Stephan Czaja: We’ve known each other forever, almost ten years. David has had his companies, I mean forever. Then we went out for dinner in early 2024 and ….

David showed me that you can easily order medical cannabis online in 5 minutes. I couldn’t believe it until we actually got a cannabis prescription – without all the stress of buying cannabis.

David Krems: The disadvantage of all the providers is that they are from Malta, London, none of them are from Germany. That’s how CannaZen was born.

Stephan Czaja: Exactly. Excellent customer service, weed with one hundred percent quality from renowned producers and fast home delivery. So you save yourself all the trips, the search for a doctor, the waiting, the waiting room and then the search for a pharmacy and so on. And let’s be honest, many patients have saved themselves the stress and bought their marijuana from dealers.

Getting cannabis, made easy

David Krems: Yes, we have noticed that many patients have to struggle with hurdles, as Stephan already said, finding a doctor, waiting times, finding a pharmacy and very few people have bought from pharmacies so far. Until now, cannabis has mostly been obtained illegally. We wanted to create a solution that simplifies access to medicinal cannabis for everyone while maintaining the highest standards.

FIV: David, what vision are you pursuing with CannaZen?

David Krems: “ Our vision was clear: we wanted to create a platform that offers patients a simple and safe way to obtain medical cannabis. Our aim was to combine modern technology and personal support in order to optimally meet individual needs.

But there’s more to it than that: medical care in rural areas, for example. With online doctors and pharmacies, we are already making life easier for many people, especially working people who can’t just pop to the doctor.

Stephan Czaja: We also want to offer prompt delivery in larger cities, in just a few hours. Thinking further, Amazon is already testing the first drone hubs in the USA for the delivery of products and medicines. This is where the future lies, prompt delivery within an hour, no matter where in Germany, not just in Berlin, Hamburg or other major cities, but also in rural areas, where 29 percent of people live.

How does it work now, buying cannabis online

FIV: How does the platform work in detail?

David Krems: Patients start with a digital questionnaire that collects all the relevant information for our doctors. After the medical examination and approval, the prescription is transmitted digitally to one of our partner pharmacies. Delivery is then made directly to the front door within 48 hours.

Stephan Czaja: What was important to us was that the entire process is not only efficient, but also transparent. Patients know where they stand in the process at all times and can rely on a smooth service.

Why CannaZen? Differences

FIV: What distinguishes CannaZen from other providers?

Stephan Czaja: The payment was central, with us you only have one step and can order your cannabis conveniently to your home in 3-5 minutes. That means it’s simple and straightforward. With others, you almost always only get a cannabis prescription, so you have to go back to a pharmacy, which then doesn’t have strain A, B or C in stock and the search begins all over again.

David Krems: CannaZen solves that, you do everything through our service. We attach great importance to a combination of efficiency and individual support, and I’m also very active in this on a day-to-day basis. We also only work with certified doctors and pharmacies to ensure the highest quality standards.

And as I said at the beginning, we are based in Germany, not in Malta, Cyprus or London, we pay our taxes here and are always available.

FIV: David, how do you ensure that your offer meets legal requirements?

David Krems: We are in constant contact with lawyers and experts to ensure that all processes are compliant. At the same time, we have developed our systems in such a way that they meet the legal requirements.

The biggest hurdles in development so far

FIV: What challenges have you had to overcome so far?

David Krems: Security of supply, we currently have 40 varieties on offer and all of them should always be available and deliverable. Secondly, there are also payment providers, which was a lot of work. Then there was the logistics, which was one of the biggest challenges. It wasn’t easy to set up a system that could deliver throughout Germany within 48 hours.

Stephan Czaja: There was also the task of gaining the trust of patients, which is why we work a lot with well-known people who are cannabis patients themselves. They show on YouTube and Instagram how an order works and that builds trust. Especially in the sensitive area of medical cannabis, trust in the quality and safety of the product is crucial.

FIV: What do you think of the positive feedback from patients?

David Krems: The response has been overwhelming. Many people report that they have finally found a reliable and legal way to obtain their medication. This shows us that we are on the right track.

Cannabis market in the future

FIV: What’s coming in the future?

David Krems: We are currently working on live communication with your doctor. Without a visit, without a traditional telephone, directly from your cell phone. Some of our patients would like even more support from their doctor and we want to make this possible soon.

FIV: Stephan, are there any plans to expand into other countries?

Stephan Czaja: We’ll see. The demand for medicinal cannabis is also high elsewhere, but the legal framework is complex. We want to ensure that we can also offer the quality and efficiency that sets us apart outside Germany.

Message from CannaZen

FIV: What message do you have for potential partners or patients?

David Krems: We want to show that CannaZen stands for quality and trust. Patients can rely on us to provide them with a safe and uncomplicated solution.

Stephan Czaja: Exactly that! Quality.

FIV: Many thanks to both of you! If you want to know more about the company, click here: CannaZen.de. Here YouTuber Open Mind tests the delivery service and here you can find our CannaZen experience report: