During the past five years, as the demand for Luwak Coffee (Luwak Kopi) has increased, many of the producers of this coffee have taken short-cuts in its production which has led to the mistreatment and abuse of the civet cats, whose digestion of the raw beans is essential to the production of this special coffee. Unscrupulous producers, in Sumatra and Java, and also in Bali, cage the civet cats an
d force-feed them the coffee berries. Civet cats are nocturnal animals and are difficult to catch in the wild, so less reputable Luwak coffee producers trap the animals and even shoot them as a way to capture them. The idea is that they will “wound” the animals and then rehabilitate them in captivity, but the vast majority of animals are killed in the process. Of those cats that remain, their lifespan is shortened dramatically. In the wild, civet cats live to be sixteen years old; in captivity, no more than six. In addition to the inhumane nature of these methods of capture and the innate cruelty of caging a wild animal, the quality of the coffee gleaned from caged cats is inferior. It is a natural enzyme produced in wild civet cats that breaks down the caffeine in the coffee bean in the precise way needed to give Luwak coffee its extraordinary qualities. When the cats are stressed, their body chemistry changes and the stress hormones have a completely different impact on the coffee bean, creating an inferior product. At the Farmer’s Cooperative in Munduk, the only Luwak coffee served and sold is made from cats left to roam in their natural habitat. In addition, the Farmer’s Coffee rehabilitates wounded civet cats and releases them back into the wild. By supporting the Farmer’s Cooperative and only buying coffee from purveyors who produce coffee from wild cats, you will help curtail corrupt practices and ensure the continued freedom and survival of civet cats in the future.
