A Seattle Kid’s Wildest Dream: Efrem Fesaha Brings the Origin Story of Coffee to The Pop-Up!
Seattle is widely recognized as the global capital of coffee, but for Efrem Fesaha, the founder and CEO of Boon Boona Coffee, the true story of coffee begins thousands of miles away in East Africa. Fesaha recently appeared on The Pop-Up! live from the Black Media Matters Studios to discuss his business's incredible growth, the cultural heritage behind his brand, and his new flagship location at Seattle's Overlook Walk.
Sitting down with host The Big O, Fesaha reflected on his entrepreneurial journey, which began in 2012 with a vision to connect the Pacific Northwest with the rich coffee traditions of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Today, Boon Boona Coffee has expanded to multiple brick-and-mortar locations across King County, including Renton, Capitol Hill, the University District, and a corporate cafe on Microsoft's Redmond campus, alongside numerous branded cafes inside corporate offices.
Honoring the History and "The Power of We"
Central to Fesaha’s mission is rewriting how consumers view their daily brew. He explained that the name "Boon" literally translates to coffee in three different languages, serving as a sign of respect to its birthplace.
"So many times the history of coffee is not shared," Fesaha said. "A lot of times it's like, 'Oh, it came out of Italy with an espresso machine...' No, it started with a jebena, a clay pot, out of Ethiopia. That's where it started.”
For Fesaha, bringing this narrative to Seattle is about merging the city's modern coffee identity with ancient global roots.
"To be able to now put some historical background as to where coffee comes from in the capital city of coffee—I think that those two converging here, it's a beautiful thing,” he said.
A Seven-Year Journey Built on Resilience
Boon Boona Coffee's current success contrasts sharply with its humble beginnings. Fesaha recalled how his initial business pitches in 2011 were met with wall-to-wall rejections from people who dismissed the relevance of African coffee history.
Undeterred, Fesaha incorporated in 2012, sourcing green coffee directly through family in Ethiopia and roasting it traditionally at home.
"I would pitch a tent [at] Volunteer Park... and just sell green coffee out of the trunk of my car just moving around all of King County," he said. "And that was the case for seven years... because I believed in it that much."
The turning point came when he opened his first storefront in Renton and witnessed the community gathering inside.
"I just turned around and just looked at the folks inside the Renton cafe, and I was like, 'Wow, there's something here.' And maybe I am going to be able to prove that coffee can be done different,” he said.
A Full-Circle Moment at the Waterfront
The episode featured Converge Media’s video coverage from Boon Boona's grand opening at Overlook Walk in February, a momentous event attended by community leaders, local officials, and longtime supporters. The location holds deeply personal significance for Fesaha, whose family first visited the Seattle waterfront as immigrants in 1988.
"This is probably a Seattle kid's wildest dreams coming to fruition," Fesaha said passionately at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
As his business continues to rise, Fesaha remains focused on using his platform to uplift other small businesses and give back to the ecosystem that sustained him.
"This isn't a Boon... this isn't an Efrem," he emphasized. "This is a community of people who have opened the door for a small business like myself... It's now time for my job to reciprocate that to my community, and that's the responsibility I take on."
Learn more about Boon Boona Coffee at boonboonacoffee.com
Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.
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