Episode 7—Rafi Nova
Rafi Nova is a fair trade fashion company and a long planned for dream of husband and wife team Marissa and Adam Goldstein. The story of Rafi Nova begins with four names: Raya, Efi, Noa, and Eyva. They’re Marissa and Adam’s two sets of twins and the namesakes of their company.
Marissa and Adam launched Rafi Nova in early 2020, and then the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, and sales were stagnant. So they pivoted, from making ethically-minded travel accessories to face masks. In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when non-medical face masks were in short supply, Rafi Nova was able to rapidly distribute tens of thousands of masks across the country, many of them donated by the company to first responders and essential workers.
As rolling layoffs began to take their toll in the United States, Rafi Nova’s unexpected success selling face masks gave Marissa and Adam the resources to hire employees and grow their business, offering a lifeline to dozens of people, including Molly, who joined the team when Rafi Nova was still based out of the Goldstein family garage. Molly graduated college in 2019, moved to Boston to work at a tech start-up, one based in the restaurant industry. When COVID hit, and restaurants shut their doors, Molly was laid off even before the lockdowns began.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, I hope you’ll take a moment, find a comfortable seat, and listen to Rafi Nova’s story.
Marissa and Adam have spent years splitting their time living between Vietnam and Boston. While exploring remote villages in Southeast Asia with our family, they bonded with local families and fell in love with the beautiful art forms they have passed to future generations. Marissa and Adam wanted to share these traditional handicrafts with a larger audience, give back to the communities they came to love, and build a strong community of adventurous, ethically minded travelers. Check out their brand video to learn more about Rafi Nova’s commitments to their artists, customers, and the world we all share.
About Rafi Nova
Rafi Nova is a fair trade and sustainable fashion brand on a mission to equip adventurous families with quality bags that align with their values, meet their ever changing needs, and support the artisans behind the seams. Check them out on their website!
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