Join us for this episode with Efrem Fesaha, founder and CEO of Boon Boona Coffee, a brand that started out by selling green beans at soccer tournaments and grew into a coffee business with cafes and corporate deals.This episode was recorded in Seattle, where Boon Boona was born. It’s our first ever live episode outside Ethiopia.In this conversation: jumping from finance to coffee, starting Boon Boona in the diaspora, building a brand with East African identity, opening the first cafe, partnerships with Amazon, Microsoft, Adobe, and Hyatt, and the resilience and purpose behind it all.More from our partners:Dashen BankWebsite: https://dashenbanksc.comTelegram: https://t.me/DashenBankEthiopiaNoah Real EstateWebsite: https://noahrealestateplc.com/EthioTelecomDownload Telebirr Remit App on Playstore : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ethiotelecom.telebirr.remit&hl=en&pli=1Appstore: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telebirr-remit/id6642675033Website: https://www.ethiotelecom.et/BPO Partnership Form:https://forms.gle/PsAVBP1vXCvhKXFP600:00 - Introduction03:44 - Opening07:41 - Journey17:28 - Educational background25:09 - Working in finance32:10 : - getting into the coffee business45:15 - Resigning and working on the cafe full time 47:28 - Challenges50:47 - Getting the keys to the cafe01:02:09 - The next milestone01:04:33 - COVID 01:10:08 - Surviving COVID301:18:51 - New locations and success01:20:17 - Management style01:30:03 - Things you would have done differently01:38:24 - Advice for entrepreneurs01:40:26 - Aspirations01:46:20 - Financing the business01:50:23 - Family01:55:15 - The coffee business02:01:10 - Life wisdomSocial Linkshttps://t.me/MERI_PODCASThttps://twitter.com/MERI_Podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/meripodcast/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKNuQ80qNSpt2x-7dsazJghttps://youtube.com/@Meriwoch?si=yIpJ3byprnVNwKi1https://youtube.com/@mericlipset?si=wwa0KeQ_Nv2aPy9lhttps://www.tiktok.com/@meripodcasthttps://www.linkedin.com/company/meriethiopian/Copyright Notice for Meri Podcast:All rights reserved.The content featured in this podcast is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or modification of any portion of this podcast is strictly prohibited.For permission to use our content, please contact us at info@meri.etThank you for respecting our copyright.