KoAloha Ukulele - Finest Handcrafted Ukuleles in the World

Ohana means Family and Family means no one gets left behind. Disney got the right idea for that one. These men and women are the heart of KoAloha. We eat together, we laugh together and sometimes we cry together. Most times the crying is for good stuff. These profiles are just a little peek into the people that make our place so special.

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Alan "Tu" Okami
"Championship Style," perform like the championship is at stake, blah blah blah, that's what he sounds like at work. Got a soapbox, will travel. He cannot swim, but is a board member with; Hawaii Arts Alliance, Hawaii Youth Symphony & Bishop Museum. Their mistake, ha ha! Still does the marketing & PR whenever he's not in the shop. Dis boss not afraid to work. More afraid of no money.

Paul "Hapun" Okami
Proud to be Japanese, even though he act American. Cannot even speak Japanese. Nah, he can. In fact, the stewardess (Chinese) always spoke to him in Japanese. Hilarious. "I just wanna work..." is his famous line in the shop, but he cannot. He has to; manage the staff, cut wood, make customs, repair the machines. We made him Assistant Vice President. That way, no need pay him more.

Patricia "Trish" Okami
Mom is the best. Everybody calls her mom. Even people that don't deserve to. That's how big her heart is. Malama on this lady whenever you visit, but now too much or you'll freak her out. Sometimes, maybe just call to say hi, but now too much ok? I need her helping me, nit on the phone! Want an order? Be nice to her.

Benjamin "Wenge" Sacro
Pronounced, "when-gay." But not translated that way. Up to you in any case. Had to get rid of this former customer, so we hired him. At least now he has a reason to come to the shop everyday. Like our finish? Talk to Ben. Don't like our finish? Same. Ben is very experienced and often heads special commissioned builds amongst the staff.

Alan "Griz" Tagama

Need a foreman? Shoot an ad. This one's ours. Gris i what we call our pace setter. Just like the lead dog on the sled team, only he never saw snow and he's not a dog. More like a koala. Most of the time, he's in the assembly section with the other Alan, listening to all of his ranting and raving. You know what? Maybe he's not listening. Who knows?

Brian "Loops" Benevente
OK, for twenty years or more, I greeted every Chamorro with, "Laanya Gatsu!" Thinking that was a good thing t say. (Thank you Michael Richards) Till I met Brian. I learned that it's not very nice. Now I say, "Hafa adai, che'lu." and nobody punches my face anymore. Brian is busy as the manager of the showroom and tours, aside from installations and online customer service.

Rogemar "Rohan" Buccat
Got a battle? This ex-marine sergeant is ready and willing. Fortunately for us, he is only battling in the shop to get better each day. Thrown into the body section, Rog has been flying high, wait that's Air Force, ah nevermind. His outside interests include muay thai and jiu jitsu. Ladies, this guy is available. If you think he's hot, wait till you see his sister.

Setsuko "Hetsu" Yamazaki
Remeber Saturday mornings on the Superfriends? Then you remember the wonder twins. One half of our Yamazaki twins is super saleslady Setsuko. Well, actually, she's not a twin. She's married to the other Yamazaki. She is a talented artist and has cooked us some mean pots of curry and shoyu chicken. We can't offer any, because we usually eat it all up.

"Braddah Ed" Horio
Our very own kupuna, Ed, has been a family friend longer than some of our staff has been alive. If Ed asks you if you, "Like beef?" He probably means some of his killer beef stew, old school style, with jumbo potatoes, carrots and fixins. Without Ed, we would have nobody stringing all the ukulele we make.

Pastor Jon Yamazaki
Ok, no nickname yet. Seems a little odd, since he's a real Pastor. He's also the other half of the Yamazaki twins. PJ as we sometimes call him, was part of a famous rock band in Japan, back in the days. You gotta see his "John Lennon" look. Unreal! When Pastor is not stringing ukes for us, he is the shepherd for Aloha Bible Church.

Davin "Delbun" Fukumoto
Boxing, jiu jitsu, teacher, you name it, this guy's done it. Just don't name your daughter. Just kidding. He's a nice guy and very faithful. Ladies, you just missed this one. He's hooked up with my architect's daughter. At first, we thought he was a nut house, but now we know for sure. That's why we love him. I THINK he loves us too. Do you Davin Davin Davin? (inside joke, sorry)

Orlando "Obie" Benedicto

He's baaaack! Alright! Cannot live without this guy, in a guy friendship kind of way. All the nice photos on this website are his. The rest are mine. No comments necessary, thank you. I woudn't say he's a computer nerd, cuz he's my friend. More of a geek. All around good guy and amazing talent. Like our website, let him make you one too. orlando@koaloha.com