{"id":219106,"date":"2025-07-25T10:18:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T20:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=219106"},"modified":"2025-07-25T10:18:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T20:18:25","slug":"alumna-kanno-uehara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/25\/alumna-kanno-uehara\/","title":{"rendered":"Community, collaboration, chocolate: UH<\/abbr> alumna\u2019s sweet business innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"student
Erin Kanno Uehara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oʻahu<\/span> native Erin Kanno Uehara, owner of Mānoa chocolate boutique Choco leʻa<\/span><\/a> always knew she wanted to study at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I didn\u2019t even apply anywhere else,” she said. “I loved my family, I loved my friends, and I just knew UH<\/abbr> Mānoa was where I wanted to be.”<\/p>\n

But while her college choice was clear, her career path took a few turns. Uehara earned her bachelor\u2019s degree in education in 2006 and spent a few years teaching before deciding to return to school to study business. In 2013, she completed her master of business administration at the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Shidler College of Business<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"chocolates\"
Choco leʻa<\/span> artisan chocolates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The MBA<\/abbr> program challenged me in new ways,” she said. “It helped me figure out my strengths and realize I didn\u2019t have to do everything alone. That teamwork mindset carried over into how I built Choco leʻa.<\/span>”<\/p>\n

Today, Uehara leads Choco leʻa<\/span> rooted in community, creativity and collaboration.<\/p>\n

“I always say chocolate is a universal language,” said Uehara. “People love it, they understand it, they crave it—and it\u2019s been such a great way to connect with others. Some of the most special relationships in my life have been rekindled over sampling chocolate.”<\/p>\n

A sweet partnership<\/h2>\n

Choco leʻa<\/span> will return as an alumni vendor at the fourth annual UH<\/abbr> Alumni Makers\u2019 Market on August 6 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. This year, they\u2019ll debut a brand-new product, designed by students from the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa College of Engineering.<\/p>\n

“The story of how we got involved with the College of Engineering is over one piece of chocolate,” Uehara said. “There was this one guy that would come in, he would buy one chocolate covered Oreo, and he would leave. We called him the Oreo guy.”<\/p>\n

Eventually, Uehara introduced herself and discovered that the “Oreo guy” was Tyler Ray, an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department. That friendly interaction led to an impactful collaboration. Since 2022, UH<\/abbr> engineering students have been working directly with Choco leʻa<\/span> to design custom chocolate molds<\/a>, applying classroom knowledge to a real-world business.<\/p>\n

Support from the College of Engineering<\/h2>\n
\"students
UH<\/abbr> Mānoa engineering students get a hands-on look at the chocolate-making process<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Knowing that Choco leʻa<\/span> and other engineering alumni-owned businesses would be featured at this year\u2019s Makers\u2019 Market, UH<\/abbr> Mānoa College of Engineering<\/a> Dean Brennon Morioka was eager for the college to support as a sponsor.<\/p>\n

“What we’re looking for this year at Maker’s Market is really the products that come out of collaborations with innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Morioka. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re so excited about our work with Choco leʻa,<\/span> it really brings our experience with engineering education to life and getting a part of real world problems with real businesses.”<\/p>\n

Morioka sees the Makers\u2019 Market as more than just a celebration, it\u2019s a reflection of the university\u2019s lasting impact.<\/p>\n

“I’m super proud about being an alum from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> because I understand what the university means to our community, our businesses, and the economic vitality here in Â鶹´«Ã½.<\/span> Go \u2018Bows!”<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> Alumni Makers\u2019 Market 2025 tickets are available<\/a>. General admission includes unlimited access to food and beverage stations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> alumna and owner of Choco leʻa<\/span> Erin Kanno Uehara is collaborating with UH<\/abbr> Mānoa engineering students to design new chocolate products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":219128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,679,179,146,9,1626],"class_list":["post-219106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-uh-manoa","tag-women-of-uh","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t