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Copy of Hokema Kalimbas About Us

 

Hokema Kalimba production facility in germany 

HOKEMA has stood for high-quality musical instruments since 1985. The firm, based in the small town of Walsrode, Germany develops and produces unique sound wonders: Kalimbas and Sansulas.

The warm, soft and gently relaxing sounds of the Kalimbas are harmonious in and of themselves, as well as when accompanying other instruments. Anyone can immediately sit down and play the handy Kalimbas. The pre-tuned scales create wonderful and enchanting melodies. 

Peter Hokema, the founder and owner of the firm, invented the Sansula in 2001. The Sansula is an oval wooden frame covered with a drum skin that resonates to the tones of the Kalimba which is mounted in the center. The sounds produced by this combination were greeted with great enthusiasm and the instrument was duly patented.

Peter and Hugo HokemaToday the family firm - now in its second generation, with 9 employees - is one of the leading producers worldwide of various models of attractive and easily-playable Kalimbas. The Kalimbas are made exclusively in Germany, crafted out of high quality wood and treated with non toxic oils ( linseed) .

The instruments are produced sustainably in the Walsrode production facility, which is fully powered by solar roof panels.

Hokema Kalimbas and Sansulas are distributed in the USA by GS Music Maker Distribution, Gabriele Schwibach.

Originally from Germany, Gabriele now lives in West Marin near San Francisco and runs the USA distribution for Hokema Kalimbas, feeltone and Metal Sounds from France .

Here's Gabriele learning how to tune  Hokema Kalimbas at Walsrode during one of her visits:

 

Peter and Hugo Hokema, the founders and creators of Hokema Kalimbas. | weplaywelltogether

Hokema Kalimbas is now run by the second generation with Peter's son Hugo Hokema at the helm of this family-run business. Today, Hokema has 9 employees has become one of the world's leading manufacturer of beautiful and easy-to-play kalimbas in various models worldwide. 

Hokema manufacturing site. | weplaywelltogether

The required electricity for their factory comes resource-saving from their own photovoltaic system, which is placed on the roof of their production facility.

Image of the factory and people working to build Hokema kalimbas. | weplaywelltogether

All kalimbas and Sansulas are still made by hand with the finest craftsmanship, with Hokema having full control over processing. They only use high-quality materials to manufacture their instruments and this makes a huge difference in the resulting sound. The resonating bodies of the kalimbas are made of fine American cherry wood and are completely free of tropical woods.

In order to know exactly where the raw materials comes from, all parts are produced in Walsrode with material exclusively brought in by German suppliers.

The required electricity for their factory comes resource-saving from their own photovoltaic system, which is placed on the roof of their production facility. The vegetable oil used to polish the wood surfaces is also chemical-free and absolutely environmentally friendly. Hokema also offers workshops and tutorials online for how to play, tune and retune all of their kalimbas. These offerings go hand-in-hand with We Play Well Together's own community online and offline gatherings, classes and live experiences.

Peter Hokema, the founder and owner of the firm, invented the Sansula in 2001. The Sansula is an oval wooden frame covered with a drum skin that resonates to the tones of the Kalimba which is mounted in the center. The sounds produced by this combination were greeted with great enthusiasm and the instrument was duly patented.

Hokema Kalimba and Sansula family

Explore our WePlayWellTogether family

Monochords, wooden Tongue Drums and Sound Furniture make up feeltone Company’s finely crafted line of quality musical instruments built since 1980 in Northern Germany where listeners can feel the tone. | weplaywelltogether
Hokema Kalimbas has run their family-operated solar-powered factory in Walsrode, Germany since 1985, developing and producing unique sound wonders played by the thumbs: | weplaywelltogether
Metal Sounds, a small company in Toulouse, France spent five years on research before founding their company in 2011 which today produces sonorous pitched percussion: | weplaywelltogether
Zaphir and Koshi Chimes to match our WePlayWellTogether sound bath family | weplaywelltogether
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