UWAA Members receive a 15% discount on coffee, freshly roasted bags of coffee, pastries, bottles of local wines, and cans from great breweries at Boon Boona Coffee
“Boon” and “Boona” are both words that mean “coffee” in different languages of East Africa. And at Boon Boona, we’re committed to sharing the unique coffee and coffee traditions of this region — and to supporting coffee growers and our local community in the process.
Growing up in Seattle, Boon Boona founder and CEO Efrem Fesaha was familiar with the experience of large coffee chains. Coming from an Eritrean family, he also grew up with the traditional coffee ceremony performed by Eritreans and Ethiopians, which is the way that many people from this region prepare their daily cup of coffee.
Returning home with newfound joy and excitement, Efrem set out to put his own mark on the coffee industry. After his initial business plan to open an East African coffee shop was rejected by banks, Efrem didn’t give up, and instead pivoted to sourcing quality green coffee from Ethiopia for East African communities in the U.S.
Today, Boon Boona has formed long-lasting, sustainable relationships with coffee producers, exporters and importers in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and many more African nations, with a focus on supporting woman-owned growers. This means that we’re not only able to source some of the best coffee from Africa, but we’re also able to share a larger share of our profits directly with the growers, while helping develop the African coffee industry.
Check out any of their three locations!
Renton Location: 724 S 3rd Street, Ste. C, Renton, WA 98057
Seattle Location: 1223 East Cherry Street Ste. C121B, Seattle, WA 98122
University Book Store: 4326 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
