Management of Fazenda Sertãozinho has been passed down to José Renato Gonçalves Dias who draws his passion for coffee all the way back to his great grandparents who were some of the first immigrants to cultivate coffee in Brazil. As a trained agronomist, Jose matches his inherited passion with academic knowledge focused on creating biodiverse environments full of microorganisms and beneficial insects that support a healthy coffee crop. José’s passion for ensuring quality is reflected by Fazenda Sertãozinho’s state-of-the-art processing facility with certifications in quality management from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). And his passion goes beyond coffee, ensuring that the people at Fazenda Sertãozinho benefit from year-round employment with onsite housing, healthcare and a school.

This delicious coffee is sourced from METAD Agricultural Development PLC (METAD). METAD is a third generation family owned business with a rich history that began after World War II when the Ethiopian Emperor awarded Muluemebet Emiru, the first African female pilot and family matriarch, with land in the Guji and Sidama zones that has become the Hambela Coffee Estate. METAD is managed by Aman Adinew who returned to Ethiopia after many years working abroad at the executive level for multiple fortune 500 companies because he wanted to make a difference for his family and community. Through Aman’s leadership, METAD has strengthened the local community with employment opportunities including a workforce that is over seventy percent women, educational opportunities including university scholarships and sponsorship for a state-of-the-art elementary school with more than 700 students, and healthcare for employees. METAD was also first to partner with Grounds for Health in Ethiopia to implement a successful cervical cancer screening program for women within the coffee growing communities. METAD has an expanding Out-grower program designed to provide technical assistance, share modern farming equipment, and provide certification programs for more than 5,000 local farmers who are paid premiums for their cherry and second payments after coffee is sold. Quality and certification premiums have also helped METAD build roads and community centers.