Jon de Mello (Owner/Chief Executive Officer)

Jon de Mello is Hawai‘i’s principal leader in the area of music recording, distribution, publishing, licensing and talent management. As Chief Executive Officer of The Mountain Apple Company, he has built a successful business that competes on an international arena in the sales and marketing of Hawaiian and Island music. However, his true love of music is founded in composing music.

The dedication to the music and the artists that The Mountain Apple Company represents is evident in the successes that Jon has received. He has produced over 150 recording projects that range from traditional Hawaiian and Contemporary Hawaiian to Island music. In 2002, he became the first producer from a Hawai‘i record label to have achieved an RIAA certified Gold Record. In 2005, Jon received the first RIAA certified Platinum Record ever presented to a producer. The recording projects he has developed and worked with have garnered well over 100 Nä Hökü Hanohano Awards (Hawai‘i’s version of the Grammys).

In 1977 Jon started The Mountain Apple Company to express his own creativity in the studio and help new groups get started in the recording business. In 1978, he incorporated as The Mountain Apple Company and signed The Brothers Cazimero as the company’s first act. The Mountain Apple Company still manages this perennially popular group – a long-term relationship almost unheard of in the music industry. Jon’s personal touch – innovative, high-concept set designs and production have become trademarks for the group’s live performances. When his father retired, Jon merged his father’s wildly successful Music of Polynesia with The Mountain Apple Company, becoming the owner of the most extensive library of Hawaiian and Polynesian music in the world.

Jon also worked closely as producer, confidant and musical mentor to Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo‘ole. IZ’s musical talent enabled Jon to capture his heartfelt passion in an inspirational style. Over the years, this music has reached over 200 million people in almost every country on earth. The albums have appeared on Billboard Magazine charts for over eight hundred weeks collectively creating a new benchmark in Hawaiian music history.

In 1997, the Small Business Administration recognized Jon with its Small Businessman of the Year in Hawai‘i Award. His creative approach to running a music-based business wowed the SBA nationally and locally. As a result, he was encouraged to grow the business even more by pushing Hawaiian music farther beyond the reef than he had previously attempted. As a result of his efforts, Mountain Apple Company’s music is now licensed & distributed in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, as well as throughout the mainland United States. As a result of this and other creative approaches to the distribution and sale of music, the major labels now come to Mountain Apple for advice on how to stem the tide of decreasing sales of compact discs, a challenge that Mountain Apple has been able to continue to surmount.

Community service and music go hand in hand because Jon believes strongly that music can heal physical, social and community ills. He has re-directed Mountain Apple’s corporate gift giving to help the most needy and the most worthy. Mountain Apple Company has donated over 20,000 compact discs to our military personnel serving overseas as well as always participating in fundraising efforts throughout Hawai‘i. It supports education of the next generation by donating music to the University of Hawai‘i’s film students so that they can complete their features with professional audio. He has also sponsored programs for children at risk, the elderly, ex-pats living outside Hawai‘i and many arts programs for the under served.

Jon’s aptitude for business and his talent for management did not go unrecognized. In March 2008, he was inducted into the Hawai‘i Business Hall of Fame at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The Junior Achievement Hawaii Business Hall of Fame acknowledges the state’s most distinguished and accomplished businessmen and businesswomen for their contributions to free enterprise in support of a stronger society. Jon and his fellow Hall of Fame laureates joined the ranks of 64 men and women who, since the Hall of Fame was founded in 1990, have been honored by Junior Achievement of Hawai‘i, Inc. for their outstanding business contributions.

Today, Jon is more of a Renaissance artist/business person than ever. On a number of separate computer workstations and in a state-of-the-art recording studio, he composes original music for television shows and motion pictures, mixes and arranges recordings of his company’s artists, designs album covers and point-of-purchase display material, edits music videos, explores the worldwide web, and generally engages in any form of multi-media art that captures his fancy. He also served as an entertainment consultant to Sheraton Hotels’ Pacific Division, Westin Hotels, and the SS Monterey Luxury Liner. Jon accomplishes all of this in addition to serving as CEO and inspirational mentor of The Mountain Apple Company, which has evolved from a local record company into an international producer, distributor and marketer of music from Hawai‘i.


E-mail Jon: jdm@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Leah Bernstein (President)

Leah has been involved in the music industry since the age of 12 when she helped out with a mountain of paperwork at a tremendously successful record company, Dunhill Records. 

Throughout her career she has been involved in every facet of the industry. She has worked for recording studios, recording & publishing divisions of major labels, as a traffic girl at KPOI Radio in it's hey day with Tom Moffatt at the helm and has been with Mountain Apple Company since 1980 where she began as a receptionist with only 2 co-workers. 

The tremendous growth potential of The Mountain Apple Company was realized very early and the unprecedented growth cycle has been achieved every year of Mountain Apple's existence. She is still involved in every aspect of the company's growth and daily business.

E-mail Leah: leah@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Lisa Soong (Executive Assistant)

As Executive Assistant for Mountain Apple's management team, Lisa is involved in everything. From production coordination of all music projects, to managing bookings for The Brothers Cazimero, to handling all music licensing and publishing requests from major film studios, television networks, advertising agencies and companies that select music for their projects.   Lisa does it all for Mountain Apple. 

E-mail Lisa: lisa@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Martha Ortiz (Sales Assistant)

Martha is the right arm, left arm and both feet of the Sales staff of Mountain Apple. She is in non-stop touch with all of the inner workings of the sales department, ensuring the department works as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
 
E-mail Martha: martha@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Mahie Murakami (Sales/Marketing)

Mahie interacts with databases of all major retail establishments, keeps the lines of communications open with buyers regarding new releases, new catalog additions, in store events, marketing, promotions & the coordination of the successful sales we experience. 

E-mail Mahie: mahie@mountainapplecompany.com

Dean Hoofnagle

Dean is one of those multi-talented guys that defy description. He has served as the sound engineer for The Brothers Cazimero for over 20 years as they perform in concerts around the world and in Hawai'i. He is also the technical guru of Mountain Apple, working with recordings and preparing them technically for release day. He is also very adept as the office technical advisor in everything from computer hardware/software to the coordination of building projects and major events.

E-mail Dean: dean@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Noelani Wigen

That voice of aloha that you hear when you call Mountain Apple most likely belongs to Noelani. She is Mountain Apple's front line, and can answer your questions and make sure you get to the right person in our company. She also updates our Calendar of Events so that information about where our artists are performing can be distributed to media and the public.

E-mail Noelani: noelani@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Lawrence Yurong (Recording Engineer)

A musician's talent is enhanced in the hands of a skillful recording engineer, and Mountain Apple is lucky to have Lawrence with the company.

E-mail Lawrence: lawrence@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Karlyn Ralston (Sales Assistant)

Responsible for making sure our buyers are well supplied and serviced, Karlyn spends most of her day in the stores.  When she's not in the stores, she is in the office assisting our sales staff and often times preparing for upcoming artist appearances. 


E-mail Karlyn: karlyn@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Matt Schmidt, Pat Trazo, Brian Bolos, Daniel Pimental, Francis Tam, Davin Pasion and Brian Pe ensure that Hawai’i’s best Hawaiian and island music are in the stores for people to buy. They are our true warriors, making sure that our artists’ music comes in properly and is immediately distributed to stores around the world in 24 to 48 hours. They are our eyes and ears in the retail environment, making sure that they are stocked and that you can find the greatest music in the world.

E-mail Warehouse: warehouse@mountainapplecompany.com
 

Employment Opportunities

There are currently no job positions available. For future consideration, please fax your resume to 808.597.1151 or e-mail it to info@mountainapplecompany.com. No phone calls, please. Mountain Apple Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.