When Nurit Raphael founded ONA, a premium cannabis concierge serving Marin County, there was one constant in her life: family. She waded through an unfulfilling position in visual effects and became unsure of her impending career path. “I knew if that didn’t change, that would be my life trajectory.” In search of a new direction and some encouraging words, Nurit did what she always does: She called her brother. 

Concurrently, Aviv Raphael, Nurit’s older brother and co-founder of ONA, was an established executive in the foreclosure space when his younger sister called. Nurit has always viewed Aviv as more than a sibling, he was her partner for life, with a gift to push Nurit to new heights. Aviv did exactly that, challenging Nurit to find a spark and pursue it. Before they knew it, this phone call would change their lives.

The siblings spent the next five years lobbying, grinding, and building one of the most illustrious cannabis delivery services in California. 

ONA’s unique approach to educating consumers on cannabis helped build a loyal customer clientele. Their benevolent focus on giving back to local businesses and fundraising programs established community trust. Their dedicated employees exemplify ONA’s core values with each delivery, and the carefully selected menu empowers customers to pursue their passion for cannabis. 

ONA is special because it’s built on the same foundation that makes Aviv and Nurit’s relationship special: A close bond between the two siblings translated to an even closer bond between ONA and Marin County. In the same way, Nurit reached out to Aviv for comfort, customers look to ONA for the same. Careers, futures, and the industry are ever-evolving, but one thing remains constant: family.

What has your journey been like?

Nurit: I was in production and visual effects and felt very soulless in my change... I called my brother Aviv who is like a father figure to me. I said, “Aviv, I can’t do this anymore, I’m so unhappy.” And he said, “okay, so what do you want to do?” At the time, Colorado just legalized recreational cannabis and I said, “I think I want to work in weed.” He told me to figure out what that means. He basically gave me the courage to go and snoop around the industry and see what’s going on. 

There was this networking event called Women Grow. I went there the first night and met two ladies that were attorneys, Amanda Conley and Shabnam Malek from Brand & Branch. I thought, “Oh this is perfect - two lawyers that will help me get into the industry, I won't get arrested and get a better understanding of the legal landscape” because that was my biggest fear. So I went back to Aviv and he thought it was a great idea. I went from being a producer in one industry to an assistant. I took a huge career cut. But while I was working for them, I learned about Prop 215. You can open a collective and basically trade weed with other members of your collective. That’s how we started ONA. 

I always knew I wanted it to be in Marin county because we were born and raised here, and I felt Marin could use a beautiful cannabis company that was well-branded and fashion-forward. The lawyers were intellectual property lawyers, so through them, I watched a lot of brands come to life, like Kikoko, Bloom Farms, and Garden Society. Because of this, I was able to pick my perfect menu through my last job.

Aviv: I just followed my sister. When ONA started, I was a consultant for people facing foreclosure. At that point, I had nothing to do with ONA. And slowly, every day, it was “hey I need your help, hey deliver this, hey we need to buy this.” So I started doing more business with Nurit and less of my own business. It was an organic transition for me.

What drew you both to the cannabis industry?

Nurit: We started ONA when I was just turning 30. I was drawn to the industry because I’ve always believed in cannabis. My mom would not give us prescription pills, she’d flush them down the toilet. When I was younger, I got my wisdom teeth pulled out, and my mom made us butter infused with weed, and gave it to us through a straw. So from a young age, I knew that cannabis was medicine.

Aviv: I’ve always enjoyed cannabis. I use it to relax, and I use it for body pain and anxiety. For me, it’s a natural resource that helps me combat everyday life.

Why Did You Choose the Name “ONA?“

Nurit: ONA is an abbreviation of mine and my brother’s initials: Oren, who is not a part of the company, Nurit, and Aviv. Family is really a big part of our lives. Being a sibling is more than a sibling, we’re partners for life. Whether we work together or not, we’re best friends overall. My brother is by my side for every step that we take and it gives me the confidence I need to succeed. It influences a lot of our marketing as well because we want people to join the ONA family. People that buy from us are family, our workers are family. ONA is an extension of our family.

What is ONA’s mission?

Nurit: We want to promote the responsible use of cannabis and break the “stoner” narrative. We want to continue eliminating the stigma and make sure people are using cannabis properly. We love our patients, we love to educate them, we’ve been in their homes getting them educated to find the right products. Overall, our clientele is wide. We’ve seen a variety of folks here. 

What has been your most difficult and most rewarding experience from running a cannabis concierge?

Nurit: Most difficult: Getting our license. That actually goes hand in hand with the most rewarding experience. Marin county did not want a cannabis dispensary here. We had to lobby city to city all over Marin County - Fairfax to San Rafael - speaking at city council meetings saying “hey can we open this licensing program, new regulations are coming into the state and we wanted to keep business moving.” That process took three and a half years so it was so rewarding when we basically changed the law to allow our business to thrive. 

Another difficult problem we have is banking. Federal banks don’t exactly accept cannabis money so we had to get pretty creative there. 
The most rewarding experiences have been our give-back program called Random Acts of Kindness. Through that, we get to give back to different families and organizations. The biggest one we work with is called Save Sight Now. A little girl in Marin was born deaf and is going blind due to a condition called Usher Syndrome. So we constantly raise money to help find a cure. That’s the most rewarding part of what we do. 

How does ONA’s cannabis concierge remain successful in a delivery-only city? 

Nurit: San Rafael is licensed for delivery only, so there are no storefronts in all of Marin. I think it has a lot to do with customer service. We’re very flexible to clients’ wishes. Once they start ordering from our delivery service, they don’t even want a storefront. They love the experience and interaction with our employees.

How would you define the culture at ONA? 

Nurit: It’s a very positive and uplifting environment. We’re extremely focused on helping people enjoy cannabis. We’re like a family. We’re more focused on lifestyle, health, and community. We always find new ways to reach our customers.

Aviv: We really love what we do and who we serve. It shows in our work ethic. Everyone is always on the same page and the support system is unbelievable. We even have a mascot, our favorite Frenchie named Bianca who does a good job making sure everyone is smiling. It’s been a fun journey so far and we’re just getting started.

What impact could ONA have in bringing more women into cannabis?

Aviv: The success story of my sister allows women to realize they can flourish and there’s no reason they can’t flourish in this industry. 

Nurit: We like to hire women and highlight how awesome we can be! We have women drivers and a good portion of the products on our menu are from women-owned brands.

What are your favorite products at the moment and why?

Nurit: I’m a flower girl. I love prerolls. One of my favorite prerolls currently is the Pure Beauty mini pre-rolls. They’re the perfect amount to share or enjoy for yourself. 

I also love the Rose Delights, made with pressed rosin. They’re like little Turkish delights and gluten-free!

I love the CANN social tonics - the Lemon Lavender is my favorite flavor. They’re amazing and even helped me stop drinking. I like to make cannabis cocktails so I really enjoy the Artet Infused Aperitif. It’s lovely that I can sip on my cannabis cocktail! 

Aviv: I get sore muscles from yoga so I really like the Mary’s Medicinals THCa Patch. I also like the Maven Peach Creme Gelato. Maven always has great flower. 

What’s next for ONA?

Nurit: Really, we just want to expand our family all over California. 

What’s a piece of advice that helped you reach where you’re at today?

Nurit: Just take it one day at a time. When you look at the big picture and what you want to accomplish, slowing down and taking baby steps makes things so much more digestible. 

Aviv: Take a deep breath. Take care of your mental health and be in a positive mental state. I use the law of attraction - if you think positively, positive things will happen to you. If you think negatively, negative things will happen. So that’s the mindset I bring into work every day.

ONA is proud to serve the residents of Marin County and the Greater Bay Area. It’s been our absolute pleasure to provide premium cannabis products to our loyal customers with the highest-quality customer service. To learn more about how ONA gives back to our community, click here. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!