Sourcing details
Minas Gerais is the largest of the three major Brazilian growing regions with six micro-regions, which account for 50 percent of Brazil’s production. From this volume of coffee, we have plucked a special treat traceable to a single estate in Sul de Minas, which is known for its rolling hills and uneven terrain lending to farms that are small to medium in size. Luiz Paulo Dias Pereira Filho has a 300 acre estate called Santuário Sul in the Carmo micro region. The estate was established in 2015 and has 150 acres planted with over 30 different varieties including Sudan Rume. Different plots are controlled with different farm management practices to bring out the best from each variety. The quality has been recognized with top finishes in the Cup of Excellence and the Carmo Best of Cup.
Processing
While Santuário Sul’s driving focus is on differentiating plant variety and creating farm management innovations, the post harvest processing is taken to a neighboring estate called Sisters Pereira, where there is decades of processing knowhow. Luis is careful to selectively pick and deliver ripe cherries to the mill where this Sudan Rume is washed and floated to remove damaged and less dense seeds before the drying process begins. Cherries are gently dried on raised beds to reduce moisture to 11 percent and then carefully stored until it is time for milling and export.
Exporting details
Luis works with an exporting company called Carmo Coffee, which helps with many of the logistics of selling to the international market, like warehousing and preparing coffee for export. Carmo Coffee also takes on a role to have a social impact with a program called Cria Carmo, which funds educational opportunities for children between 7 and 17 years old in the Carmo region.
