India, Asia's third-largest producer and
exporter of coffee, has started producing the world's most expensive coffee,
made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of
Karnataka. The Civet coffee, also called as Luwark coffee, is expensive because
of uncommon method of producing such a coffee. It is produced from the coffee
beans digested by civet cat. The feces of this cat are collected, processed and
sold. It is highly priced because it is claimed to be more nutritious and high
cost involved in sourcing the animal dropping, wastage during processing and
quality certification. Civet coffee, a drink of elite consumed widely in the
Gulf nations and Europe, is sold for Rs 20,000-25,000/kg abroad. Here in the
country's largest coffee-growing Karnataka state, a start-up firm, Coorg
Consolidated Commodities (CCC), has made a humble beginning of making the
luxury coffee on a small scale and has also decided to open a cafe to serve the
brew locally.
"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," Narendra Hebbar, one of the founders of CCC the media. The
exotic coffee is being sold locally under the brand 'Ainmane', he said that the
company has only one outlet at Club Mahindra Madikeri Resort where it sells
locally produced coffee, spices and other products. Hebbar also shared that the
company sources the animal poop from plantations located close to forest from
where civet cats come to eat the ripest coffee bean cherries. "Civet cat
eats flesh of the coffee cherries and not the bean.
Natural enzymes in civet's stomach enhances the bean flavor
and that's why this coffee is unique," he said. Now, farmers are
understanding the importance of this coffee and "we produce it in natural
form unlike other countries where civet cats are caged and forcefully fed with
coffee beans," he noted. It is being sold at Rs 8,000 per kg here, while
it is available at Rs 20,000-25,000 per kg overseas, he said.
Asked if the company plans to export, Hebbar said it is not
viable to export in view of high certification cost given the current low
production levels. "We want to promote this coffee locally. We will open a
cafe soon. We will sell 'Coorg Luwark Coffee' along with other varieties like
Cappuccino and Expresso," he said. A senior Coffee Board official also
confirmed that civet cat coffee is being produced in small quantities in parts
of Coorg and Chamarajnagar districts. "It is very small quantity, done by
individuals. They produce and market as a speciality coffee, a niche product
which is very expensive," he said.
