Santuário Sul Starmaya, Brazil

Fazenda Santuário Sul was founded in 2015 by Luiz Paulo Dias Pereira Filho, a fourth-generation coffee producer from Carmo de Minas and co-founder of Carmo Coffees. Deeply rooted in the coffee culture of Minas Gerais, Luiz Paulo has dedicated his career to elevating the global perception of Brazilian specialty coffee. His commitment to quality has been internationally recognized through outstanding achievements in the Cup of Excellence Brazil: finalist in 2019 and 9th place in 2018, where his lot became the second most expensive coffee of the competition. With a background in Business Administration and a strong focus on sustainability, research, and innovation, he created Santuário Sul as an experimental farm and varietal garden. Here, tradition meets technology: Νew cultivars are tested, fermentation protocols are refined, and quality is pushed beyond expectations. The farm has become a benchmark for progressive Brazilian coffee, demonstrating that Brazil can produce coffees with remarkable complexity, clarity, and identity.

This lot features Starmaya, a groundbreaking F1 hybrid derived from Marsellesa and the male-sterile CIR-SM01 line. Developed through research led by CIRAD and ECOM Agroindustrial, Starmaya is the first F1 hybrid that can be reproduced by seed, offering improved uniformity, resilience, and productivity without compromising cup quality. At Santuário Sul, Starmaya finds an ideal terroir to express both structure and vibrancy. The processing plays a decisive role in shaping this profile. Through carefully controlled fermentation techniques, Luiz Paulo enhances aromatic intensity and texture, unlocking layers of fruit character and sweetness that distinguish this coffee from more traditional Brazilian profiles.

Starmaya delivers something entirely different from what we typically expect from Brazil. This variety, combined with an expressive fermentation process, creates a cup with a subtle funk character and a vibrant, modern personality. It moves beyond the classic chocolate-and-nut profile and introduces a more dynamic spectrum of sweetness and fruit. We tested it extensively both as espresso and as filter. In espresso, it offered a juicy structure, lively acidity, and a rounded sweetness that carried through the finish. As a filter, it became even more articulate and aromatic, with clarity and brightness that kept the cup engaging from start to finish. In both preparations, we experienced sweet, energetic, and beautifully balanced results—proof that innovation in the field can translate directly into excitement in the cup.