Concerned by the animal welfare, conservation and human health impacts of civet coffee tourism, The Civet Project team travel to Vietnam in search of the real cost of the world's most expensive coffee.
Civet coffee (also known as 'kopi luwak,' 'weasel coffee,' and 'cat-poo-chino') is coffee that has been partially digested by civets, nocturnal cat-like animals. Since it's rise to fame in popular media in the early 2000's, the international civet coffee market has continued to grow, and its market value is now expected to reach an estimated $10.9billion USD by 2030. In attempts to meet consumer demand, civet coffee is now made through the caging and force-feeding of wild-caught civets across southeast Asia. Caged production has led to devastating consequences for animal welfare, conservation, and human health. Yet still, civet coffee continues to grow in popularity across the world. Still, civet coffee tourism is promoted widely to coffee enthusiasts and to travellers. Civet Coffee: From Rare to Reckless is a call to animal NGOs, and the tourism and coffee industries- to make civet coffee history.