Palouse Coffee Club
At a glance
- Roasts inRenton, WA
- Founded2012
- Founded byEfrem Fesaha
- CafesRenton, Seattle and Redmond
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Boon Boona Coffee is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Washington: an independent roaster based in Renton, founded in 2012. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Founder and CEO Efrem Fesaha grew up in Seattle in an Eritrean family that held the traditional coffee ceremony at home, a daily ritual in Eritrean and Ethiopian households. A trip to Asmara, Eritrea deepened his interest in East African coffee culture, and he came back wanting to bring its slower, gathering style of coffee to Seattle. The business began in 2012 with Fesaha sourcing and distributing Ethiopian green coffee. It started selling roasted Ethiopian and Rwandan coffee in 2016 and opened its shop in downtown Renton in 2019, where it roasts and runs a cafe.
Boon Boona buys coffee only from Africa, working with producers, cooperatives, exporters and importers in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and other countries. It says it gives priority to women-owned growers and looks for paths into underserved growing regions. The company explains that many East African farms are very small, sometimes only a few trees, and that cooperatives let those smallholders process more efficiently and get better prices. It has since opened cafes on Capitol Hill near Seattle University, inside the University Book Store on the Ave, and inside Microsoft's East Redmond campus.
What they roast
House blends include Jebena Blend, Bereka Blend and Meddah (espresso). Single origins on the list when we checked: Mahiber, Ethiopia, Nova, Rwanda, Kathendu, Kenya, Kajere, Uganda and Tumaini, D.R. of Congo. Meddah, sold as its espresso. Decaf Sidamo, Ethiopia. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
The downtown Renton shop is both the roastery and a cafe, open every day.
- Renton: 724 S 3rd Street, Ste. C, Renton
- Capitol Hill (12th and Cherry): 1223 East Cherry Street, Ste. C121B, Seattle
- UW Book Store: 4326 University Way NE, Seattle
- Microsoft East Redmond Campus, Building 4: 15835 NE 36th St, Redmond
Address
724 S 3rd Street, Ste. C, Renton, WA 98057
Cafe where the coffee is roasted.
Why buying from Boon Boona Coffee matters here
Roasts in downtown Renton, where it opened its first shop in 2019. Offers pop-up space to local artists, nonprofits and small businesses, and aims to make its cafes inclusive for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ guests. The Capitol Hill cafe carries a mural by Perri Rhoden, and the University Book Store cafe was designed with La Union Studio and has a mural by Yeggy Michael. The University Way cafe pours beer and wine from local partners including Metier Brewing and Holy Mountain.
Every bag bought from a Renton roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Washington, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Boon Boona Coffee is part of the club.
Are you Boon Boona Coffee? Email roasters@palousecoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Washington roasters
- Caffe Vita, Seattle
- Herkimer Coffee, Seattle
- Indaba Coffee Roasters, Spokane