Coffee's Cruel Secret

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:00:00. > :00:04.one of the world's rarest roots of one of the world's rarest roots of

:00:04. > :00:11.copy. The programme includes scenes of animal cruelty. —— rarest brews

:00:11. > :00:16.of copy. of animal cruelty. —— rarest brews

:00:16. > :00:22.of copy. It is marketed as the world's rarest

:00:22. > :00:24.and most expensive coffee. This is no ordinary beverage. It is made

:00:24. > :00:32.with the help of a wild animal known with the help of a wild animal known

:00:32. > :00:38.as a palm snippet cat or luwak. It has become a global hit. Has it come

:00:39. > :00:46.as a palm snippet cat or luwak. It as —— at a cost to the luwak? As

:00:46. > :00:54.supply tries to meet increasing demand, are cruel battery of farms

:00:54. > :00:59.useful to missing? useful to missing?

:00:59. > :01:02.We go undercover to gain access to this guarded industry to expose

:01:02. > :01:40.coffee's cruel secret. We are undercover in Indonesia,

:01:40. > :01:54.posing as businessmen filming our trip 300 year. We're also read

:01:54. > :01:56.world's third largest coffee world's third largest coffee

:01:56. > :01:58.producer. Here, coffee is big producer. Here, coffee is big

:01:58. > :02:05.currency. No more so than the currency. No more so than the

:02:05. > :02:15.unusual beverage I have come here to investigate. In the 18th century,

:02:15. > :02:22.plantation workers realised that luwak 's were wandering onto their

:02:22. > :02:29.plantations and eating the ripest coffee berries. The digestive system

:02:29. > :02:36.of the luwak could not handle the Stone of the beam. Once it was tried

:02:36. > :02:47.in the sun, it would produce a unique tasting and highly desirable

:02:47. > :02:52.copy. —— coffee. Now, it is the world's must have beverage.

:02:52. > :03:03.Researchers say the diet of fruit producers a caramel tasting

:03:03. > :03:03.coffee. Despite being branded as cats, they are related to the

:03:03. > :03:13.mongoose. Some species are cats, they are related to the

:03:13. > :03:17.copy luwak say that they copy is copy luwak say

:03:17. > :03:28.Wildcats, hand—picked by farm sourced from areas

:03:28. > :03:33.Wildcats, hand—picked by farm workers, and not from caged cats.

:03:33. > :03:36.Many retailers Many retailers claim only 500

:03:36. > :03:47.kilograms of this copy is produced per year. Luwak droppings are

:03:47. > :03:52.Indonesia's coffee gold. In recent years, it has become the talk of

:03:52. > :03:53.dinner tables, bars and cafes around the world, for those it can afford

:03:53. > :04:02.it. 75,000 rupiah a cup, £5, it is a it. 75,000 rupiah a cup, £5, it is a

:04:02. > :04:11.big chunk of an average weekly wage share. At that cost, you can have it

:04:11. > :04:19.filtered at your table. It is up to £60 a cup in America and Europe.

:04:19. > :04:31.What was once a free drink for peasant coffee farmers is now

:04:31. > :04:36.luxurious and expensive. Now you can drink Java produced from the back

:04:36. > :04:40.end of the cats. You can imagine the number of nasty names people have

:04:40. > :04:53.for this copy, crappuccino. We told you about a coffee. It is smooth and

:04:53. > :04:56.delicious and an experience. A former coffee trader was among the

:04:56. > :05:03.market. I ended up on late—night TV, market. I ended up on late—night TV,

:05:03. > :05:12.feature articles, it went completely mad. It caught me by surprise. From

:05:12. > :05:18.that, every company in the world realised if they wanted to get press

:05:18. > :05:25.attention on their company, this was the way. We are here today to talk

:05:25. > :05:30.about poop coffee. It has been the subject of much talk in the US

:05:30. > :05:33.media, great material for headline writers and British comedians. Rich,

:05:33. > :05:48.harvested at source, and then... aromatic and

:05:48. > :05:52.This man believes the amounts This man believes the amounts

:05:52. > :05:54.available does not add up. He fears that the animals are being battery

:05:54. > :06:02.farmed. The coffee trade relies farmed. The coffee trade relies on

:06:02. > :06:04.quality and consistency. The best way to do that is to keep them in

:06:04. > :06:13.captivity? As thorough as there are captivity? As thorough as there are

:06:13. > :06:15.concerns, from cages it is perfect. There are only 500 kilograms in

:06:15. > :06:22.existence at any one time. Absolute nonsense. The reason that anybody

:06:22. > :06:31.regurgitate that story is that by being incredibly rare, you can keep

:06:31. > :06:34.it high priced. Howell is supplying meeting increasing demand? Is the

:06:34. > :06:41.story of picking droppings from wild story of picking droppings from wild

:06:41. > :06:49.cruel battery farm could be a cruel battery farm could be a

:06:49. > :06:56.reality. We are travelling to North Sumatra, the heart of the

:06:56. > :07:04.production. We have had to create a convincing cover story. We have

:07:04. > :07:12.created a fake British luxury copy company and told suppliers we are

:07:13. > :07:14.keen to import the drink. Our first meetings with a collector. He is the

:07:14. > :07:17.middleman, collecting it The sale of the coffee appears to be

:07:17. > :07:41.various farmers. He then sells it The sale of the coffee appears to be

:07:41. > :08:12.Another collector with more samples this case

:08:12. > :08:30.Another collector with more samples of

:08:30. > :08:48.He shows me happy snaps of his colleagues and the farms. I wanted

:08:48. > :08:53.to know more about captive coffee. Believing I am keen to place an

:08:53. > :09:03.order, the agree to take the two—day informal call for farmers. —— take

:09:03. > :09:09.me to a informal cooperative for farmers. In their plantations of the

:09:09. > :09:12.art shape Highlands, the dark art shape Highlands, the dark

:09:12. > :09:17.secrets behind one of the world's secrets behind one of the world's

:09:17. > :09:42.kilograms is produced per year, this The cats a caged for coffee. Despite

:09:42. > :09:43.kilograms is produced per year, this farmer says he supplies that much

:09:43. > :10:06.per There were five captive animals

:10:06. > :10:11.here. Two recently died. The farmer is this the animals are worked ——

:10:11. > :10:17.well cared for. He insists that a forced the diet of coffee berries is

:10:17. > :10:30.taking its toll. Just two kilometres away, a second

:10:30. > :10:49.farm, more complaints of illness and distress hampering production.

:10:49. > :10:57.So what do animal welfare experts make of the secret production line?

:10:57. > :11:03.These animals and want to be as close to each other. This doctor

:11:03. > :11:04.from the World Society for the Protection of Animals animals is a

:11:04. > :11:07.specialist in animal behaviour. They specialist in animal behaviour. They

:11:07. > :11:11.are absolutely miserable are absolutely miserable and

:11:11. > :11:16.depressed. These wild animals have behaviours they want to express.

:11:16. > :11:22.They are barren, filthy, there is nowhere for them to claim. There is

:11:22. > :11:25.nowhere for them to really exercise in the way they need to. That is why

:11:25. > :11:30.we are seeing a lot of the we are seeing a lot of the

:11:30. > :11:35.symptoms, the abnormal behaviour, the pacing, the frenetic behaviour

:11:35. > :11:39.patterns. Some of them just looked depressed. Can there be such a thing

:11:39. > :11:45.as an ethical captive operation? depressed. Can there be such a thing

:11:45. > :11:59.off area for his animals. Here, the This farmer has built a large fenced

:11:59. > :12:03.They are solitary animals. In another area of the enclosure, sick

:12:03. > :12:07.one has lost his poor will stop we one has lost his poor will stop we

:12:07. > :12:21.are told it was missing? They have just left in

:12:21. > :12:29.there. He can hardly walk. Nobody is doing anything. Injured animals can

:12:29. > :12:34.be easily replaced. They are readily supplied by poachers. 50 have been

:12:34. > :12:39.condemned to captivity at another farm. This is one of the largest

:12:39. > :12:44.operations we have seen so far. There were all bought from poachers.

:12:44. > :12:51.So they feed on the coffee berries and then's... The animals

:12:51. > :12:51.So they feed on the coffee berries and then's.? I and then's.

:12:51. > :12:53.So they feed on the coffee berries and then's... The animals used to be

:12:53. > :13:19.His neighbour runs and other large operation. More signs of repetitive

:13:19. > :13:23.behaviour from stress. There is a new addition to the farm.

:13:23. > :13:29.behaviour from stress. There is a We have found the baby.

:13:29. > :13:56.There was another surprise in this farm. This luwak is a rare breed.

:13:56. > :14:00.Under Indonesian law, animals can only be taken from the wild under

:14:00. > :14:11.licence. And with a strict quota on numbers. Laws that animal welfare

:14:11. > :14:14.campaigners claim are ignored. The misery for it Indonesia 's blue wax

:14:14. > :14:19.begins here, in their natural begins here, in their natural

:14:19. > :14:27.habitat hunting. These illegal poachers used

:14:27. > :14:36.externally, but humans are hunting. These illegal poachers used

:14:36. > :14:42.to sell the animals from meat. Now they have a buyer wants them alive,

:14:42. > :14:45.coffee farms. We are invited to see their work first hand. So this is

:14:45. > :15:03.the luwak? The net. Gosh. the luwak? The net. Gosh. The

:15:03. > :15:07.capture of the luwak using these simple home—made wire traps is the

:15:07. > :15:20.start of a long chain of people making a profit off the black. ——

:15:20. > :15:28.luwak. The profit made does not end luwak. The profit made does not end

:15:28. > :15:33.at the farmers and their collectors. 500 kilos is made at

:15:33. > :15:44.of Indonesia 's global exporter is. of Indonesia 's global exporter is.

:15:44. > :15:50.Retailers that sell Indonesian kopi luwak do not claim it is produced by

:15:50. > :16:00.droppings collected from the bottoms of dozens of cages containing

:16:00. > :16:09.rainforest. The main rainforest.

:16:09. > :16:19.responsibilities of the retailers are unfortunate limited to public

:16:19. > :16:27.they sell. If the retailer is describing a product as being from

:16:27. > :16:35.coffee, it is difficult to do that wild animals

:16:35. > :16:45.commoditised product, it looks the in practice.

:16:45. > :16:56.from. It is going to be very difficult for the retailer. Still

:16:56. > :17:02.posing, I have a meeting with a captive luwak importer. We are told

:17:02. > :17:33.there are 60 animals producing a reliable supply

:17:33. > :17:51.retailers across Europe and the Far retailers across Europe and the Far

:17:51. > :17:59.East. So is kopi luwak produced by East. So is kopi luwak produced by

:17:59. > :18:03.it said it in captivity in the government global market? Let's meet

:18:03. > :18:14.with exporters. For the coffee trader Tony Wilde has helped us

:18:14. > :18:21.trader. Convinced we are interested trader. Convinced we are interested

:18:21. > :18:23.in doing business, they have invited us to see their own plantations and

:18:23. > :18:28.owned estate. After a tour, a us to see their own plantations and

:18:28. > :18:36.owned estate. After a tour, a meeting with the Vice President. He

:18:36. > :18:41.explains that they have two lakh products. The first comes from

:18:41. > :18:57.collectors and independent farmers in the area, called Wales luwak.

:18:58. > :19:14.collectors and independent farmers Wales.

:19:14. > :19:24.Of course, he is unaware that we have filmed of factory farm that

:19:24. > :19:25.claims to sell direct to him. But the Vice President 's admission that

:19:25. > :19:33.they cannot guarantee anything... We they cannot guarantee anything... We

:19:33. > :19:38.contacted them to form they have been investigated by BBC, they

:19:38. > :20:00.responded by saying that they do ask farmers before they buy.

:20:00. > :20:08.We are told they have a premium product made from droppings from

:20:08. > :20:23.Wales luwak that wander freely onto their estate. Is this premium

:20:23. > :20:24.product, after a long supply chain, that ends up on the shelves of one

:20:24. > :20:26.of the world 's most famous of the world 's most

:20:26. > :20:53.But these photos taken in December department, Harrods.

:20:53. > :20:55.But these photos taken in December 2010 show a different image. It caps

:20:55. > :21:04.on the Co SA, in some shown any captive civet cats, and

:21:04. > :21:16.enclosure. shown any captive civet cats, and

:21:16. > :21:18.someone who says they are happy and someone who says they are happy

:21:18. > :21:23.well cared for and doesn't want to well cared for and doesn't want to

:21:23. > :21:31.be identified. We put each luwak in its own space. As a metaphor is

:21:32. > :21:36.clear that hose every day. —— the cement floor is cleaned and hosed.

:21:36. > :21:39.The company says they The company says they have

:21:39. > :21:59.enclosures for scientific research. The production and supply chain are

:21:59. > :22:09.so complex, it is impossible to confident that caged civets are not

:22:09. > :22:14.used to make products on sale in Harrods and other department stores.

:22:14. > :22:28.But what is this well—known retailer make of our findings? Harrods said

:22:28. > :22:31.their UK supplier has given them every assurance that coffee they are

:22:31. > :22:37.provided with is organic and comes from Wales Palm civets. The added

:22:37. > :22:38.that they were working with the UK supplier to investigate the evidence

:22:38. > :22:51.from this programme. Back in from this programme.

:22:51. > :22:54.northern Sumatra, we have met a northern Sumatra, we have met a

:22:54. > :22:56.different exporter. We are about to get a taste of how ruthless that

:22:56. > :23:03.kopi luwak trade can be. It's 430 in kopi luwak trade can be. It's 430 in

:23:03. > :23:11.the morning, and it's just become terrifyingly clear to all of us that

:23:11. > :23:11.we have hit a raw nerve. Our driver claims he has been threatened by two

:23:11. > :23:15.men, one with a gun, the other an men,

:23:15. > :23:22.business with the agent and no one agent for the exporter.

:23:22. > :23:28.business with the agent and no one else. For our

:23:28. > :24:04.business with the agent and no one leave. We are followed as we do.

:24:04. > :24:12.The poachers, illegally snatching lakhs from the wild. The farmers,

:24:12. > :24:21.confining the animals to a miserable existence. The collectors, offering

:24:21. > :24:26.alternatives. The exporter of that keeps animals and hidden

:24:26. > :24:37.enclosures, unable to make guarantees. Copy can be a ruthless

:24:37. > :24:54.and competitive industry that relies on Frost along every part of the

:24:54. > :24:57.supply chain —— Coffey. That's not a very pleasant sight at all. In fact,

:24:57. > :25:15.it's horrific. To think that the it's horrific. To think that the

:25:15. > :25:15.extraordinary boom in what is now an industry based upon wild animals

:25:15. > :25:23.being kept in these conditions. The industry based upon wild animals

:25:23. > :25:27.being kept in these conditions. The cages are horrible. Here is a poor

:25:27. > :25:37.worse than a concentration camp. worse than a

:25:37. > :25:40.It's really hideous. It's all It's really hideous. It's all

:25:40. > :25:41.nonsense, absolute nonsense. It's an nonsense, absolute nonsense. It's an

:25:41. > :25:42.outrage. People ought to outrage. People ought to do

:25:42. > :26:01.something about this.