In Bali, the costliest approach to drink coffee is to decide on beans created from civet droppings. Every yr, tourists travel to the Indonesian island and drink civet coffee – locally often called kopi luwak – at a dozen cafes and farms listed on Google Maps.
However, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said in an investigative video posted on YouTube on March 5 that tourists must be careful when drinking kopi luwak since the coffee beans are harvested from civets kept in wire cages.
The video included footage of several civets held in captivity. Jason Baker, senior vp of Peta, told CNBC that the footage was shot on a farm in Catur, a small town 48 km (30 miles) north of Ubud that’s popular with trekkers in Bali.
In the recording, one person could be heard claiming that coffee beans are harvested from civet droppings present in the “wild jungle” – but Peta wrote within the recording that this shouldn’t be true.
“Deliberately misleading claims about how civet coffee is sourced are rampant in Bali,” the video caption reads.
Bali is legendary for its beaches. Now the tourism industry focuses on other things
Bali is legendary for its beaches. Now the tourism industry focuses on other things
One person, whom Peta identified as a kopi luwak dealer, said tourists have no idea that civets are held in captivity.
“It’s because we use force [confine] them,” the person said in response to an investigator’s question about whether kopi luwak was better than regular coffee.
The video ends with the caption: “Don’t be fooled. There is no ethically produced civet coffee.”
Baker told CNBC that kopi luwak can’t be produced in mass quantities without keeping civets in cages. He said the civets were also found to have been fed rotten coffee berries, covered in feces and had open wounds.
The Bali Tourism Board didn’t immediately reply to Business Insider’s request for comment on regulations surrounding the production and sale of kopi luwak on the island.
“But the confinement, suffering and sadness that civets experience in exchange for kopi luwak shouldn’t be theirs. We warn tourists: steer clear of civet coffee,” he said. Peta and Baker didn’t immediately reply to BI’s request for comment.
Kopi luwak is made by cleansing and roasting partially digested coffee beans excreted by civet cats. Kopi luwak can also be known for its high price, starting from $45 to $600 per pound, Baker told CNBC. It’s big business – in accordance with data from Ohio-based research firm Spherical Insights, the kopi luwak industry’s market size was price $7.16 billion, and is anticipated to grow to $11 billion by 2032.
This shouldn’t be the primary time Peta has called on tourists to boycott kopi luwak. In 2022, Peta stated that tourists should avoid kopi luwak after civets were found to be upset after having their droppings collected.
