Founder, Hector Bernaldo, always loved Polynesian music and the Polynesian culture growing up. in the early 2000’s, Hector decided to pursue that passion more seriously. Buying his first ukulele, a concert size ukulele, he taught himself to play and eventually joined Halau Ka Ua Tuahine in 2007. Under the tutelage of Kumu Mahealani Uchiyama, he learned Tahitian drumming and further increased his involvement with Polynesian culture. This is where he discovered the Tahitian Ukulele. According to Hector, “the sound of the tahitian ukulele captured me from the moment I heard it and I fell in love.” Performing with the group over the next several years, Hector decided to start importing Tahitian Ukuleles from the South Pacific and sold them to friends and to local customers as they are a very rare instrument in the United States. More recently after meeting, Brian Brusas, an inspiring young entrepreneur in the ukulele industry, Manea Ukuleles was born.

Manea Ukuleles brought together a talented team of 3rd and 4th generation luthiers to build this company and start production. Our instruments are hand-crafted by gifted artisans who create each ukulele from beginning to end, meaning every ukulele is crafted with their heart and soul rooted into each harmonic piece. In Hawaiian, we’d say their “Mana” is in these instruments.