Ethiopia - Guji - Hambella Alaka - Q1 - Washed - Organic

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.

This Guji forest coffee is offered by Metad. Committed to restoring the full value and recognition of this type of production, they promote from the village of Bishan Fugu a carefully traced, hand-harvested forest coffee, known for its distinctive fruity profile.

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.

This lot is a washed Q1 coffee, certified organic, representing the highest grade of Ethiopian coffee in terms of quality.

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. This shared vision, combined with Metad’s strong involvement in local development projects, convinced Belco to become Metad’s importer in Europe.

Here are a few words from Tariku Adinew:

Alaka is the name of a village located at approximately 2000 meters above sea level, in the Hambella woreda, within the Guji appellation. It is here that Metad took over the management of a beautiful coffee forest in the late 2010s, on a Farm of about 141 hectares.

This area is characterized by the presence of majestic trees and varied species that, through their Shade and the rich soil fertility they provide, promote the production of a rare coffee. The Farm is part of a regenerative agricultural approach, where different crops coexist with the coffee trees. Notably, false banana (ensete), black pepper, and avocado trees are found there, while the trees present on the Plot contribute to natural shade and improved moisture and rainfall management.

The cherries harvested by Metad are then processed on-site using different methods. Natural coffees are sun-dried on African raised beds for about 15 to 20 days, while washed coffees follow a shorter processing method, with drying for approximately 7 days. The Farm has about 240 African raised beds dedicated to drying, as well as several hulling machines used for processing natural coffees.

Under these unique Agroforestry conditions, the soil fertility, altitude, and surrounding Biodiversity contribute to the production of complex and expressive coffees, typical of the Guji origin.

The Metad company was founded through the impetus of a family long involved in coffee, as the grandparents of founder Aman Adinew were already coffee producers and traders. Before Metad, Aman Adinew was president of ECX (Ethiopia Commodity Exchange).

Metad was founded in 2014 to meet the specialty coffee market's expectations regarding traceability, quality, sustainability, and fair remuneration for producers.

He founded Metad with family members, American citizens who, like him, chose to return to their home country, driven by a desire to develop high-performing, quality operations. Aware of the shortcomings that could affect the Ethiopian coffee sector, they chose to promote outstanding coffees by focusing on traceability, which ensures superior value for the crops from their region. Today, Metad is among the pioneers in developing a structured specialty coffee value chain in Ethiopia.

The coffees handled by Metad are rigorously traced at every stage of the process. Lots are primarily received in parchment and undergo several mechanical sorting steps, each removing a specific type of defect, before a final Hand Sorting. This attention to processing and quality control significantly contributes to the final quality of the coffees.

Metad supports social and environmental projects whose local roots ensure their success. For coffee producers, Metad implements regular training and pre-payments for harvests, which provide these farmers with greater stability. The group has also already distributed over 600,000 coffee seedlings to the farmers they work with.

More broadly, Metad has, for example, helped construct roads. They have also funded the establishment of primary schools, covering all expenses (materials, teachers' salaries, etc.) for 800 students. They provide scholarships for 105 disadvantaged students in the Gedeo zone. Metad also implements specific support projects for women in producer communities, particularly in disease prevention and screening.