Boon Boona Coffee – University Book Store

About Us

We are an exclusively African Coffee Roaster based in Renton, Washington. We look to leave more added value in an equitable way to African Coffee Producers while providing a welcoming space for all in our Cafe.

In 2011, Efrem traveled to Asmara, Eritrea, and he fell in love with the local coffee culture. The café experience there was unlike anything he'd seen back in Seattle: The cafes were filled with the scent of freshly roasted coffee and provided a welcoming community environment at the same time.

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.

Soon his family and friends discovered that they could purchase quality green coffee from him. By 2016, following the requests of American friends who prefer roasted coffee, Efrem began experimenting with his own roasting techniques. This, too, took off over the course of two years Boon Boona Roastery and Café was born.

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.

In keeping with the spirit of East African coffee shops, we also work to foster a community environment at our café, and we're proud to provide an inclusive space for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized individuals. We're constantly thinking up ways to support our local community, from providing pop-up space to artists, non-profits, and small businesses; to handing out free coffee at Black Lives Matter events; to bringing crucial resources like King County Libraries and the King County Health Care Plan Finder into the café so people can easily access them.

Whether you join us in person at our café or order our coffee online, thank you for becoming part of our community and for supporting African coffee growers.