KoAloha Ukulele is proud to be regarded as one of the premier ukulele builders. Our reputation for sound and quality are the result of the continuous pursuit of perfection. Each ukulele is meticulously and lovingly crafted by hand.

Alvin Okami has been called by many a modern day "Renaissance Man." He is an inventor, an innovator, a composer/arranger, a singer, an accomplished oboist, an industrial designer, graphic designer, and overall brilliant conceptual and spontaneous idea man.

His musical background has provided him with all the necessary experiences to enable him to design and create an ukulele of unsurpassed quality. From the very beginning, he has been obsessed with the pursuit of producing the finest ukulele available in the market today. As a musician and craftsman, he would accept nothing less than handcrafting the most beautiful and best sounding instrument.

Alvin Okami started his musical career as a singer. With Frank Sinatra as his idol, he found success at local high school song assemblies. He also ventured into musical composition, writing and recording his own songs. This matured inot a career as a vocalist, accompanying ukulele virtuoso, Herbert "Ohta-san" Ohta, in the Waikiki nightclubs. Alvin garnished praise for his vocal talent from the likes of Matt Monroe (Born Free) to Doc Severenson (The Tonight Show).

As night life did not suit him well, he turned to one of his loves, the oboe. One semester away from his degree in music, he left college to join the Royal Hawaiian Band, as the band's oboe soloist. Between performances, he found the time to launch a career writing tracks for commercials. One of his commercials was featured in a national advertising campaign, for a large retailer.

Ever the adventurer, he left the band to start his own manufacturing business in 1981.

Late in 1994, his old friend Herb Ohta Sr. suggested crafting a miniature ukulele for his sister's store. Alvin was not satisfied to complete a simple minature; therefore, he embarked on a mission to make a tuneable, playable miniature. Six months later, he had an ukulele measuring no more than 5 1/2 inches in length! Playable and tuneable! Exact in every detail, painstakingly done by hand.

This reunited him with another old friend, Roy Sakuma. At Roy's invitation, Alvin performed "Hilo March" and "Jingle Bell Rock at the 1995 Ukulele Festival. It was a total hit! KoAloha Ukulele was officially born.

Due to the high demand for good quality ukuleles, Alvin began a quest to craft full sized instruments. With the unfailing support of Roy and Kathy Sakuma, the production of the regular sized instruments began.