Did you know that India is the third largest producer and exporter of coffee in the world! In the last couple years we have delved into the production of the most expensive coffee in the world- civet coffee. Civet coffee, also known as luwak coffee has a sky-high market price owing to its higher nutritious value when compared to available alternatives. It is priced upto Rs 25,000 per kg! The unusual production method along with quality and processing certifications involved in making civet coffee are other factors attributing to the high cost.

What’s so unusual about civet coffee you ask? This coffee is made from coffee beans that civet cats excrete after consuming coffee cherries. Civet cats eat the flesh of coffee cherries and not the bean. Natural enzymes present in the civet’s stomach enhance the bean flavour making it unique to this kind of coffee.

Civet coffee is cultivated and produced in the beautiful, serene lands of Coorg, by the Coorg Consolidated Commodities (CCC). This coffee is said to have origins in Indonesia. But with the abundant forest area in Coorg (40%) and a civet cat population of over 40,000, Coorg is a mine for this exquisite beverage.

The high price of the coffee and the speculations around the production process being industrialized and cruelty to animals has been put to rest at CCC owing to the natural and cruelty free process of coffee picking here. With the large civet population in this area, spotting their droppings is quite easy; civet cats usually poop on solid surfaces like wood and dry stone. Not only does the Coorg plantation make for an excellent production ground for the best coffee in the world, it also stands for a strong anti-poaching message. Civet cats are notoriously hunted in these regions, or at least they used to be before their potential for producing coffee beans was realized. With an increase in the production of civet coffee and the potential it has opened up for many kinds of employment, there has been a fall in the poaching activities and better care is being given to these animals, making it a win-win for both the environment and the economy!

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