Elias Gurmu and Sarina Prabasi met and married in Ethiopia, then opened the first Buunni in Washington Heights in 2012. Buunni means brown, like the coffee and like the founders.
The coffee comes from smallholder farms and farmers' cooperatives. Since 2024 it has been roasted on two Loring S35 Kestrels at The Roasting Room in Hunts Point, the Bronx, which offers co-roasting services. Cafes in Washington Heights, Inwood and Haven Plaza serve it.
