Hello FromTheWayside, I noticed other posts about Braddah as I had the same question and found a little history here (as a newb in the forum I apologize if this has already been posted):
http://www.easyukulele.com/mele-ukulele.html "Michael Rock who created the beloved Mele Uke first moved to Hawaii intent on starting a business making wooden furniture. This led him into the creation of the Mele "Some of the top names in the genre started playing his instruments, and this brought him a substantial amount of renown. In the early 90s, he started Hawaiian Instrument Designs, or HID Maui. Once this brand was off and running, he was able to improve the techniques used for creating the instruments, and he was able to add a number of features to them. In 1995, he introduced Braddah Ukuleles, which became extraordinarily popular."
"The 90s were a great time for the instrument, as it really began to see a huge resurgence in popularity. In fact, ukes, and the Mele ukulele, were selling so quickly that Rock actually had to open up a separate factory just so they could produce the number of ukes that were in demand. The factory is in Waiehu, while the store is in Wailuku."
With Mele Uke, they’ve solidified their place as one of the top uke makers in the world. They offer up a wide range of different lines, and all of them are popular with uke players. It is possible to find models that are ideal for students who are just starting to learn the instrument all the way up to semi-professional ukuleles. While Rock is not able to make all of the instruments himself, all of them are still handmade using their special two-part process.
"One of the reasons that people love these ukuleles is the fact that they are actually quite affordable, which is stunning when you consider that they are handmade and very high quality. They are a great buy for just about any uke player."