From Eritrea to Espresso — Efrem Fesaha on Culture, Coffee, and Community
Efrem Fesaha, Founder and CEO of Boon Boona Coffee, joins Jason Cavness to share his journey from corporate finance to building one of the Pacific Northwest's most celebrated coffee brands.
Inspired by the café culture of his family's native Eritrea, Efrem returned to Seattle determined to bring the richness of East African coffee traditions to a wider audience. Today, Boon Boona Coffee operates multiple locations, supplies major grocery chains, and serves as a cultural hub for community connection.
Efrem's story is one of persistence, cultural pride, and purpose — a reminder that business can be both profitable and deeply human.
• From corporate finance to coffee entrepreneurship
• Bringing Eritrean and East African coffee culture to Seattle
• Building Boon Boona Coffee during the pandemic
• How community engagement drives business success
• Coffee sourcing, roasting, and quality control
• Navigating growth while staying authentic
• Mental health, leadership, and self-care as a founder
• Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
Efrem Fesaha is the Founder and CEO of Boon Boona Coffee, a fast-growing coffee company rooted in East African tradition and based in Seattle, Washington.
After 13 years in corporate finance at companies like Amazon and Nordstrom, Efrem traveled to Eritrea, where he fell in love with the café culture and community-centered spirit of coffee. That experience inspired him to create Boon Boona Coffee, which now includes multiple cafés, grocery distribution, and corporate partnerships — all focused on sourcing high-quality beans directly from African farmers.
Efrem is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 SBA Washington Small Business Person of the Year, Pacific Northwest Small Business Person of the Year, and the 2023 Tabor 100 Community Service Crystal Eagle Award.
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/efrem-fesaha-1082a65b/
Website – https://www.boonboonacoffee.com/
X – https://twitter.com/BoonBoonaCoffee
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/boonboonacoffee/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@boonboonacoffee
"Do something good. Or do some good that benefits someone else. Just try doing something good in your community. It doesn't need to be anything elaborate — just start."
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