Aman Adinew founded Metad in 2010, and coffee production began three years later. His brother, Tariku Adinew, joined the company shortly afterward. In Hambela, Metad owns a 200-hectare farm located in the Hambela Wamenna woreda, specifically in the Alaka and Bishan Fugu kebeles.
The farming system used on these plots follows Ethiopia’s well-known semi-forest model. The landscape is rich in natural forest, with native climax tree species still present, such as qararo (Aningeria adolfi-friederici). The farm is organized into plots, and each plot is planted with a single coffee variety. The varieties grown include: 75227, 74112, 74110, and 74140. The farm is organically managed, with all coffee cherries harvested by hand.
The cherries are pulped using a Penagos eco-pulper the morning after harvest. This machine removes the mucilage and significantly reduces the amount of water needed to wash the parchment. After pulping, the parchment coffee is soaked for one day before being spread out on drying tables.
Drying takes place on traditional African raised beds, and thanks to the high altitude (over 2,000 meters) and the favorable orientation of the wet mill, optimal drying conditions are achieved. The drying process typically lasts between ten and fifteen days.
Belco and Metad have been working together since 2018, united by a shared vision of quality, environmental responsibility, and respect for the people involved throughout the coffee value chain.
Here are a few words from Tariku Adinew:
"METAD wants to make our community happier and healthier, and we pride ourselves on implementing ethically and socially responsible practices across our company. A portion of all profits are reinvested back into the community, going towards the building of clinics, roads and digging wells for safe drinking water, among other initiatives. We have adopted a local elementary school, providing over 850 students with much needed supplies and financial support, we also provide University scholarships to 105 disadvantaged students from our area, and we’ve partnered with Grounds-for-Health, a US-based NGO working with coffee farming communities to eradicate cervical cancer in women. Over 70% of METAD’s current farm workforce are women."
