Civet Coffee

This is one of our agricultural projects, but it is also a piece of art and as part of it we help with putting up a river tour.

There are countless varieties of coffee, depending on species of coffee tree, place of origin, type of roasting, and final preparation. Certainly civet coffee is special in many respects. Ours is from prime ripe beans, since it is harvested by wild civet cats, connoisseurs which eat only the choicest berries. These beans go through the cats’ gastrointestinal tract where enzymes break down proteins, resulting in reduced bitterness. The beans are then excreted by the cats in characteristic clumps. The farmers/gatherers scout the forest floor among the coffee trees for these characteristic clumps left by the cats. The beans are washed and sun-dried. Every bean then goes through a meticulous hand-sorting to ensure that only the best beans go to the next phase of pounding through the traditional method using mortar-and-pestle. Hand-winnowing follows to remove the pergament from the now bare beans.  Finally, the beans are roasted very slowly over one hour on an open fire. The result is a mild, excellent-tasting coffee with a note of chocolate flavor that is gentle on the stomach. It is thus greatly appreciated by those who want to savor their drink without the usual coffee gastritic side-effect. Civet coffee has been found to reduce the risk of oral, breast and skin cancers, neurological conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as diabetes mellitus. Civet coffee is not only a gastronomical delight, it is also a health-promoting drink.

We look at our civet coffee as a piece of art, part of a social sculpture. The coffee farmers/gatherers get a good price for the beans they painstakingly gather and prepare. They then come to realize the value of protecting the civet cats as well as their natural forest environment. Koberwitz 1924 derives a means to further support the farmers in areas like holistic nutrition, health, education, and eco-tourism. Consumers become part of the sculpture through the joy of their gastronomic experience and a growing consciousness of interdependency and cooperation: I am a part of this world. Each bag of this coffee is individually created, numbered and signed.

If you want to test our civet coffee, let us know by e-mail and we can either provide you with the address of a retailer near you or send whatever amount you might like. Contact us through [email protected].