“Ohana” is Hawaiian for “Family”

Most every “founders” story has a history rift with twists and turns, meant-to-be’s and strange turn of events that the universe eventually puts you exactly where you need to be. Our story is not any different, just the chain of events and circumstances. So, here is our story in one paragraph (kind of a large one):

 Cary (aka Birdman) and his three brothers Steve (Stevo), Greg (Peg) and Michael (Mac) founded City Beach way back in 1992 as originally a volleyball facility in Emeryville. In 1994 they expanded their “empire” to Santa Clara where they improved another industrial warehouse building with six hard courts, one indoor sand court, and expanded bar / café, and a weight and fitness area. What a great life – corporate events, the nation’s largest junior volleyball program and lots of time playing sand ball. Heck, we were doing so well that eventually in 2001 we built the mother of all facilities in Fremont – 42,000 square feet of indoor rock climbing gym, full-service restaurant and bar, outdoor bocce ball courts, volleyball, pool tables, virtual bowling, meeting rooms.

In early 2011 we unceremoniously parted ways with the company – no big deal, our guardian angels took the big headache off our shoulders and placed in squarely on someone else’s. Ok, so now what do we do we asked ourselves? Greg had taken off for Hawaii with his wife and founded “Bubbas Dog Shack” on Maui and Steve was having a successful real estate career. Ok, so now what?

Both having a passion for cooking, Cary and Michael had been futzing around with the idea of making homemade snack fare, something they had seen at a trade show in Orlando, potato chips. As they further developed the concept, calling upon childhood memories of the snacks they liked, the genesis of ‘Ohana Bros. was founded – homemade artisan chips, popcorn, fries and Hawaiian shave ice.

Ohana Bros. was created solely as a way to express our passion for innovation, creativity, fun, and ultimately to spread the spirit of aloha. Is there any greater way to do this than making great snacks and seeing the smiles on faces?

“’Ohana” is Hawaiian for family. This is how we view all of us on this planet – one big happy, dysfunctional, crazy, fun-loving bunch of human beings just trying to get by the best we can. We chose this name because we have this vision that we are all truly one family – a “one-world Ohana” and we need to treat each other as such, with love, respect, and kindness through a practice called “aloha” (more on that later).

Mahalo – The Bros.