Elias and Sarina, a husband-and-wife team, founded Buunni Coffee in 2012 when they moved to New York from Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Over ten years, the cafe and their coffee beans became local icons. During this time, the company grew from a beloved neighbourhood hub to a nationally-recognised coffee brand found in places such as Trader Joe’s and the MET store. They won numerous awards not only for their coffee but community engagement and were profiled by national media.

As brands grow and evolve we help them do the introspection necessary to figure out who they have become. After many hours of conversations with the founders, we set hard at work to build a vibrant identity system that embodies Buunni’s identity as an independent business leader while retaining their beloved coffee-and-community spirit.

The refreshed Buunni logo shows the traditional Ethiopian coffee cup called sini. For the visual identity system, we crafted two distinct modular elements—the community sketch and Ethiopian tiles.

The community sketch is an ode to the coffee communities of Ethiopia and other places around the world that have gathered around this magical brew for centuries. The sketch is also a nod to Buunni’s tight knit NYC family. Like coffee communities, the sketch is solid, grounding. It is also symmetrical and replicable. We wanted to evoke growing patterns in nature: honeycombs, crystals, wave formations. Due to its modular nature, the community sketch can build and expand. Its myriad geometrical nooks are also conducive to being zoomed in.

The other side of the identity were the Ethiopian tiles, inspired by Ethiopian art, architecture, textiles and handicrafts. Each of Buunni’s unique handmade tiles conjures a visceral memory or an iconic symbol of the multifaceted Ethiopian culture kaleidoscope such as the jebna coffee pot.

For the website we created a system of icons for coffee tasting notes, coffee varietal processes and origin maps. Coffee and culture are inextricable. We used these icons to tell the story of the coffee beans—their past, present and future—from seed to cup.

The tone of voice breaks away from the “coffee snob” language, often inaccessible and exclusionary. The Buunni voice is passionate about coffee but approachable, warm, friendly and uncomplicated. Just like Buunni founders Sarina and Elias walking through the neighbourhood and stopping every few minutes to chat with Buunni’s fans who (always) want to say hello.