Quite interestingly, this rare coffee is made from Civet cat’s poop. 

Yes, a cat’s poop. 

Which is why it costs a fortune. It’s mainly produced on the Indonesian island of Sumatra but now, a company in India has also started the production of the unique coffee. 

Civet coffee, also called Kopi Luwak, is made from coffee beans that have been partially digested by the Asian palm civet, a weasel-like animal that looks a lot like a cat. These wild animals eat coffee beans as part of their balanced diet. The faeces of this cat are then collected, processed and sold as Kopi Luwak.

It is believed that the natural enzymes secreted while digestion improves the taste and flavour of the coffee beans.

In India, the coffee is being sold for Rs 8,000 per kg, whereas, in Gulf nations and European countries, it costs Rs 20,000-25,000 per kg.

In India, a startup called Coorg Consolidated Commodities (CCC) has begun producing civet coffee in Karnataka. They’re selling it under the brand name ‘Animane’. 

The company has also decided to open a cafe to serve the brew locally. 

As reported by the Hindustan Times, Narendra Hebbar, one of the founders of CCC, said:

Initially, 20 kg of civet coffee was produced. After establishing the start-up firm, 60 kg was produced in 2015-16 and 200 kg last year. We hope half a tonne production from the new crop to be harvested from October. 

The company brings Civet poop from plantations located close to the forest from where wild Civets come to snack on the ripe coffee bean cherries. So unlike other parts of the world where the Civet cats are caged and force fed coffee beans, the CCC follows a completely natural process to produce this unusual coffee.

Would you drink it?