Region: Carmo de Minas, Minas Gerais
Elevation: 1200 masl
About: Santuário Sul sits in the hills of Carmo de Minas, built as a deliberate step away from traditional Brazilian coffee. The project was founded by Luiz Paulo Dias Pereira, alongside collaborators including Camilo Merizalde, with the intention to experiment, both in the field and at the mill.
Rather than focusing on volume, Luiz Paulo approaches the farm as a living collection of varieties. More than 30 cultivars are planted across the property, each managed separately and monitored closely through harvest. This level of control allows the team to refine how each variety responds to altitude, soil, and process, with Luiz personally cupping early samples to guide decisions.
Pacamara is a clear example of this intent. A variety not traditionally associated with Brazil, it’s grown here with careful attention to maturation, and fermentation. This Pacamara presents high sweetness and a coating mouthfeel, shaped through an extended fermentation protocol.
The result is a different expression of Brazil, less familiar and more exploratory, and firmly tied to a producer willing to test the limits of what can be done.
