Civet coffee

What is civet coffee?

Civets are small, nocturnal mammals, native to tropical Asia and Africa. The coffee they help to create — by eating and excreting coffee beans, which are then collected and cleaned — has become increasingly popular. But, to keep up with rising demand, civets are now being cruelly captured and forced to live in inhumane conditions. So we’re pushing suppliers to only stock wild-sourced, 'cage-free' civet coffee.

Civets are frequently injured during capture and experience extreme stress when handled by humans.

The problem

To fuel the growing demand for civet coffee, civets are being captured using box traps, snares and hunting dogs. These methods frequently cause injuries. Many civets are then sold to civet 'farm' owners. Others are moved to noisy, bustling wildlife markets.

After being sold, the civets are forced to live in small, bare cages, often without enough shelter or bedding.

Many show signs of great stress — pacing or harming themselves. Fed a poor diet in terrible conditions, many animals die early or show signs of injuries.

The solution

Wild-sourced, cage-free coffee is the only humane option. It allows wild civets to live in their natural habitat, and means rural communities can generate a small income by collecting and selling the coffee beans excreted by civets. And connoisseurs want this high-quality, natural product — not the inferior, cruel, caged product, which misleads consumers and undermines this traditional industry.