Born in Faro in 1979, Nuno Palma grew up with copper in his hands, not knowing exactly when he started — perhaps it was the aroma of medronho boiling in a still, or the shine of metal heated in his father’s hands. From an early age, he closely followed the process of producing arbutus, where copper stills are not only instruments, but carriers of memory, of ancestral know-how.
The visits to Mestre “Ti” Ricardo — mentor of Mestre Analide, Nuno’s future trainer — were milestones that ignited curiosity and desire: to see, touch, hear, learn. The fascination with the manual construction of copper stills set in, silent but persistent, as he recognized in that metal something more than functionality — an identity, a tradition, a form of connection between generations.
During the 2000s, Nuno followed a different path, in the area of computer science, but the strength of artisanal knowledge remained present. In 2009, she felt the need to get closer to something more human, more visceral, and graduated in Physiotherapy. Even this professional path never extinguished his appetite for copper and for developing what is born from his hands.
In 2016 he learned of the first training of boilermakers — an opportunity that he could not enjoy, but which left a mark and restlessness. In 2019, the path opened up again: she joined the second training and embarked with determination on practical learning, experimenting, making mistakes and perfecting.
Today, as an artisan associated with Loulé Criativo, Nuno Palma unites technique and affection: copper continues to shine, not only as a material, but as a link of identity, of belonging, of a living trace of the Algarve’s heritage. In his stills there is the memory of fire, of ancient knowledge, and the demand for a present that honors the past — so that what he does is not just an object, but an expression of a culture with a future.
