Boon Boona Coffee
Renton, WA
Curator's Notes
Boon Boona only roasts African coffees, with an emphasis on top-quality beans and thoughtful sourcing. Efrem knows a thing or two about African coffees: his family is from Eritrea, a small country that borders Ethiopia. In fact, Boon Boona’s Cafe is one of the only places in Seattle to find a traditional coffee ceremony—a hospitality ritual practiced across Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan that involves pan-roasting the beans over a fire, grinding them with a mortar and pestle, and serving the strong, dark brew from a clay jebena pot. Efrem started Boon Boona as a way to connect the East African community with responsibly-sourced, high-quality beans for home roasting. Today, his Seattle and Renton cafes are inviting, art-filled spaces that honor the birthplace of coffee.
From the Roaster
The story of Boon Boona starts with one man and connects two cultures, worlds apart. Our founder and CEO, Efrem Fesaha, grew up in Seattle. While the city’s grab-and-go coffee culture was all around, his Eritrean family performed the traditional coffee ceremony that is part of daily life in Eritrean and Ethiopian households. After a trip to Asmara, Eritrea, his love for East African coffee culture truly took root. Inspired by the slower pace and welcoming community of Eritrean cafes filled with the fragrance of roasting beans, Efrem returned to Seattle to share the unique flavors and traditions of East Africa, where coffee is not just a drink–it’s a daily pause, and a chance to gather with friends and family. Boon Boona sources coffee beans exclusively from Africa, a market full of unique challenges and transformative opportunities. We believe that coffee is a catalyst for shared prosperity. Our intentional approach allows us to source some of the best coffee from Africa, while directing a larger share of profits to individual growers and bolstering the African coffee industry as a whole. We focus on supporting woman-owned growers, and seek out new paths into underserved African coffee-growing regions. In our cafes, we take care in creating an inclusive space for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized individuals. Thank you for becoming part of our community and sharing the love with African coffee growers.
