Boon Boona Coffee Opens Newest Location

Boon Boona Coffee hosted the grand opening for its third and newest location at the University of Washington’s University Book Store on Monday, located at the site previously occupied by The Book Store Cafe.

“We’re really excited to have this opportunity and to get this cafe going,” owner and founder Efrem Fesaha said. “This neighborhood and this street is definitely a cornerstone to Seattle, and we’re grateful to be able to do this here.”

Based in Renton, owner Efrem Fesaha roasts exclusively African-grown coffee beans at his shops. Fesaha aims to bring the coffee culture that he experienced during a visit to Eritrea, where his family has roots, to his shops in the Seattle area. This store is the next step in that journey, as he looks to expand and continue to build equity in the community at home and abroad.

“They have a lot of coffee out here, but they don’t have African coffee. They don’t have coffee the way that we’re doing it,” Fesaha said. “It’s really the opportunity to try something different.”

Besa Gordon agreed, saying that creating a space for Black students and community members to gather for coffee was a major need in the area.

“There’s not a lot of Black people in this area unless you actually go to this school,” Gordon said. “For them to create a space for people that look like us to feel comfortable and have coffee, that’s amazing.”

Jaebadiah Gardner, the CEO of Gardner Global, was an early supporter of Boon Boona, and he says it’s been inspiring to watch Fesaha’s journey with the shop.

“It’s so exciting to see words turn to action and dreams turn to reality,” Gardner said. “We’re going to be here to support.”

You can visit Boon Boona’s newest location at 4326 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105