COCHi is the Chamber’s goat mascot. COCHi, an acronym for  “Chamber of Commerce Hawaii,” is pronounced “ko-chi.”

Why a goat? In 1949, the Chamber held a membership campaign where each board member was responsible for taking care of a live goat, nicknamed “Gloomy Goat,” until he or she recruited a new member. Once a member was recruited, the board member passed Gloomy on to the next board member for caretaking until he or she recruited a member.

In 2014, the Chamber honored that history, but instead of a live goat, the search was on for a life-sized replica of Gloomy. COCHi was eventually discovered in Texas.

The membership drive was subsequently kicked off with the Chamber’s board of directors. Reminiscent of the original membership drive, each board member took care of COCHi until he or she recruited a new member, after which COCHi was delivered to another board member.

The campaign was a success, with more than 25 members recruited by the board. COCHi currently resides at the Chamber’s office awaiting her next membership drive campaign.