Love, Coffee, and Hustle: The Story Behind Arkibuna Coffee
By Faisale Shefawe
Published on 04/28/25
When Eskinder Tegene was working as an independent contractor transporting goods and equipment to research facilities in 2012, he and his wife, Selamawit Zekiros, knew they would one day start their own business. However, newly arrived in the country, they had to wait almost three more years before they could turn their dream into a reality.
Before moving to the United States from Ethiopia in 2010, Eskinder had owned a successful furniture store and later operated a small blinds assembly company. Selamawit, an entrepreneur like her husband, owned a stationery store and sold packaged roasted coffees to the local market — a background that would become invaluable when they launched Arkibuna Coffee in Alexandria, Virginia.
Both Eskinder and Selamawit are passionate coffee lovers who used a high-end espresso machine at home to satisfy their coffee cravings — and they were very particular about quality. In 2014, they turned that passion into a business by selling packaged roasted coffees imported, unroasted, directly from Ethiopia at the Ben Brenman Park farmers market in Alexandria.
In 2015, they expanded their offerings by serving brewed coffee from the same tent they used at the farmers market. What made their coffee stand out was that they roasted the beans themselves, maintaining a direct link to the Ethiopian farms where the beans were grown. At the time, they offered only regular black coffee, since serving handcrafted lattes or iced coffees required additional equipment and resources.
While their coffee business was growing, Eskinder continued working full-time coordinating logistics and materials for scientific research.
In 2018, the couple bought their first coffee truck to expand their business and offer a wider variety of handcrafted drinks with greater mobility. The first Arkibuna Coffee truck was stationed in Crystal City, Virginia. Selamawit began working at the truck full-time while Eskinder continued his logistics job.
Although business was booming in Crystal City, their original plan had been to operate in Washington, D.C. However, they learned that the size of their truck didn’t qualify for a permanent license to operate in D.C., except at special events or farmers markets. Nevertheless, they made the most of their restricted license by participating in special events and pop-up shows in the city while operating permanently in Virginia.
In 2019, when COVID-19 hit and local governments restricted large gatherings, Eskinder and Selamawit decided to close their business temporarily, parking their coffee truck for a year and a half.
During that time, they traveled, relaxed, and regrouped. In 2022, they returned with a brand-new coffee truck in Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C., just one block away from the Foggy Bottom Metro station and George Washington Hospital. This time, Eskinder decided to leave his logistics job after 10 years to operate the truck full-time, while Selamawit managed their original truck at a new location in Rosslyn, Virginia.
At the end of 2023, they purchased their third coffee truck, which they stationed near Farragut West Station — a bustling area filled with pedestrians, bikers, and commuters. Selamawit took over management of the new truck, and the truck they previously used in Virginia was reserved for special events.
Arkibuna Coffee is quickly becoming a local favorite in Washington, D.C., where long lines of customers are now a common sight.
“When we first started selling coffee in the area, we planned to give out free drinks to introduce our brand,” Eskinder said, “but we didn’t have to because customers were very receptive and kept coming back for more coffee and lattes.”
The husband-and-wife team has big ambitions for Arkibuna Coffee. They envision a future where their coffee trucks operate in major cities across the country. With steady growth — one truck at a time — they are well on their way. In fact, they are currently in the process of opening a new coffee truck location in Atlanta, Georgia, in the coming months.