Founder of Onda Wellness

Hi Stephen - can you tell us a little bit about your background and path before creating Onda?

The fond memories of romping around my grandmother's farm in rural north carolina no doubt shaped and inspired my interest in agriculture from an early age. My family always grew food and hunted wild game in the woods. I knew the feeling of harvesting fresh, organic foods from the soil and how that process created more flavorful and nutrient dense foods as a child.

After graduating from the University of Colorado with a BFA in photography and sculpture I worked in restaurants while racing mountain bikes and adventuring. I found myself working for an Organic wine grower in Napa who elevated my relationship with farming and its correlation to weather and the environment. My passion shifted from recreation to agriculture. I took a job as the Director of Business Development at the first Biodynamic farm in Colorado and first Organic Distillery in the US, Jack Rabbit Hill Farm. This ignited my passion for Biodynamic and regenerative agriculture before working on a 90,000 acre cattle ranch.

When I teamed up with my dear late friend’s mother to start Onda I realized the opportunity in this emerging market to try to write a new narrative. One where we could steer away from the industrial and commodity framework that rarely, if ever, benefits the farmers or the soil. I know there was a chance that if we could build this model from the ground up with higher values and standards we could try to set the bar for others in the industry to strive for. Partnering with certified Biodynamic and regenerative farms for this medicinal product is paramount in ensuring clean, nutrient dense products for the consumers.

Why did you decide to create Onda, what was your purpose?

To create a mechanism to help people feel better while simultaneously supporting conscious farmers that are healing the planet.

Can you tell us more about Hemp and how it can magically support the human body? We hear people use hemp when their muscles are inflamed or for relaxation purposes. Can you go deeper into how this natural ingredient works?  

The Endocannabinoid system (ECS) was discovered in 1992 in Israel which opened the doors for our understanding of how our body works with this ancient cannabis medicine. Medicinal hemp (as opposed to industrial fiber hemp for example) contains over 100 different phyto-cannabinoids that fit perfectly with our CB1 and 2 receptors. Additionally, our body produces endocannabinoids such as Anandamide (bliss molecule) and 2-AG that are very similar to the phyto-cannbinoids found in hemp cannabis plants. However, there are enzymes that can break down these endocannabinoids in our body, as they are meant to, however, sometimes they become imbalanced leaving us feeling depleted or “off”, so when you supplement with Onda oil you are allowing the phytocannabinoids in our oil to act as martyrs thereby allowing the naturally ocurring endocannabinoids in the body to work on a higher level with our receptors.

When the ECS is working well it acts as the master regulatory system enabling the body to minimize inflammation, rest well and come back to centerline when we get surges of stress or anxiety. That is why with Onda oil you feel a sense of calm and wellbeing as the body resets.

Do you consider hemp consumption an ancient remedy?

 Absolutely. Humans have been using hemp since the beginning of time and is one of the first crops to be cultivated on Earth. I personally feel that our intuition guides us to plant medicine and if we can keep those channels clear and trust ourselves and what we feel then we can heal ourselves with these ancient remedies.

How can an entrepreneur integrate Onda products into their life? 

Wow, such a great question. I would assume that other entrepreneurs deal with similar bouts of high stress and anxiety due to the high risk nature of our vocation. Also, many entrepreneurs that I know share a similar intensity and passion for what we are dedicating our life force to. That being said, using Onda to manage stress and anxiety and ultimately support healthy adrenals can mitigate burnout, for example. Also, many of us are athletes and use exercise and adventure sports to stay healthy and have fun. The balm is great for after sun adventures as well as muscle soreness. Getting a solid night sleep is super important with so much brain activity during the day. I would say that I would never have been able to bootstrap Onda to what it is today without a bit of my own medicine :)

Onda is the first cbd company to support certified Organic and Biodynamic® farms, what can you tell us about this way of growing plants?

Yes, we launched the World’s first certified Biodynamic® CBD oil and are in the process of getting our other products Verified Regenerative through the Savory Institute. Without being overly reductive, what this means is that hemp is a piece of a diversified and dynamic ecosystem on our two partner farms. These farms grow a variety of veggies, herbs, pollinators and rely on the symbiotic contribution of polycultures of chickens, pigs, cows, turkeys etc to bring site specific soil food in the form of manure. A true regenerative / Biodynamic farm is a self sufficient ecosystem creating its own vitality from within.

This is better for the consumer because they get the absolute cleanest and most nutritious products that can be grown while healing themselves and the Earth.

Why is producing organic products not enough?

Sadly at this point the Organic standard has been diluted by special interest groups and corporations wanting to put that on their label but not actually uplevel their practices. Biodynamic / regenerative is a more proactive way of healing and not just sustaining. For example, a farm could be Organic but still using plastic (made from petroleum) in their fields to suppress weeds or spraying herbicides and pesticides that have been “approved” as Organic. The point is to continue to build soil health and steer away from conventional practices, not just slap Organic on the label.

What as consumers do we need to know in order to make smart decisions when selecting brands that provide products containing hemp?

Ideally the consumers know where and how their products are grown. Are they a part of the problem or solution? Make sure to see lab tests and stay away from isolates or oil that is clear as its been overprocessed. Look for the green!

What is your vision for Onda and Hemp use in general?

Onda will continue to grow as the most trusted and progressive farm and earth focused brand in the market as we expand into other plant medicines. We are very excited for the infrastructure to develop so that we can all begin to explore the true potential of all forms of this very generous and dynamic plant from bioplastics to fibers to foods and shelter. The future is bright for hemp and Onda.