Ethiopian coffee lab, METAD receives certification

The world’s largest coffee trade association Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has certified METAD /Kabu Coffee Quality Control Laboratory in Addis Ababa as the first privately owned African laboratory.

The laboratory which is equipped with state-of- the-art coffee tasting technology was inspected and certified on May 17, 2013 by a team of SCAA experts, including Mr. Skip Finley, a Director of the SCAA Board and Mr. Marty Curtis, a Coffee Quality Institute Instructor, a press release issued  May 20, 2013 has said.

Mr. Finley in his description of the laboratory said, “When you walk into METAD’s lab you feel like you are in the known coffee quality laboratories in the US or Korea.”

“By having its laboratory certified, METAD is at the start of a huge project,” Curtis said. According to him the certified laboratory will contribute to the development of Ethiopia’s coffee industry by building buyers’ trust on the quality of Ethiopian coffee.

“As the birthplace of coffee, you guys (Ethiopia) should have been the first to be certified. But now you are jumping into that position,” he added.

By Dorcas Appiah