The son of Richard and Eliza Josiah, his family roots go back to Kokoiki, Kohala on the Island of Hawaii. Being the son of a military father Manu had the opportunity to live abroad, most notably, Stuttgart, West Germany where he was born.
Raised in Honolulu and Kohala during his early childhood, he later grew up in Washington State where he graduated from High School. He joined the Army in 1974, highlighted by a two year assignment to Alaska; he then joined the Navy in 1981.
While in the Navy Manu traveled to many foreign countries including Iceland, Norway, Germany, Guam, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Jakarta, New Guinea and Vietnam. Following a distinguished 21 year military career, Manu worked as a Budget Counselor for the Navy at Pearl Harbor for 7 years then as a Certified Financial Counselor and Program Manager for Special Needs Programs for the Marine Corps at Kaneohe, Oahu. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Manu is a classically trained guitarist, but over the past decade has focused on traditional Hawaiian music and instruments.
When Manu and Leilehua married in 2005, he was already deeply involved with assisting with the fabrication and manufacturing of the Malama Torches™, under the tutelage of Leilehua and the founder of Malama torches™, Don Yuen, he gained a greater appreciation of this art form.
As a part of the LeiManu “Team” Manu is the administrator of the business while also contributing to the artistic development of the Malama Torch™ product line.
Manu also is developing his business, Hawaiian Heart Woods, which specializes in unique handcrafted functional pieces using locally grown and reclaimed woods.
Manu Josiah spent many of his formative years on a farm in Kohala on the island of Hawaiʻi. Upon graduation from school, he joined the US military and served in the US, overseas, and at sea. After retiring from the Navy, he taught financial management for the Marine Corps for ten years before embarking on this new creative entrepreneurship. The move to entrepreneurship facilitated the opportunity to move back to his home island, do something different, create something with his hands, and work in partnership with his wife, who had previously operated the business as a sole proprietorship.