Coffee's Cruel Secret Our World

one of the world's rarest roots of one of the world's rarest roots of

copy. The programme includes scenes of animal cruelty. —— rarest brews

of copy. of animal cruelty. —— rarest brews

of copy. It is marketed as the world's rarest

and most expensive coffee. This is no ordinary beverage. It is made

with the help of a wild animal known with the help of a wild animal known

as a palm snippet cat or luwak. It has become a global hit. Has it come

as a palm snippet cat or luwak. It as —— at a cost to the luwak? As

supply tries to meet increasing demand, are cruel battery of farms

useful to missing? useful to missing?

We go undercover to gain access to this guarded industry to expose

coffee's cruel secret. We are undercover in Indonesia,

posing as businessmen filming our trip 300 year. We're also read

world's third largest coffee world's third largest coffee

producer. Here, coffee is big producer. Here, coffee is big

currency. No more so than the currency. No more so than the

unusual beverage I have come here to investigate. In the 18th century,

plantation workers realised that luwak 's were wandering onto their

plantations and eating the ripest coffee berries. The digestive system

of the luwak could not handle the Stone of the beam. Once it was tried

in the sun, it would produce a unique tasting and highly desirable

copy. —— coffee. Now, it is the world's must have beverage.

Researchers say the diet of fruit producers a caramel tasting

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

mongoose. Some species are cats, they are related to the

copy luwak say that they copy is copy luwak say

Wildcats, hand—picked by farm sourced from areas

Wildcats, hand—picked by farm workers, and not from caged cats.

Many retailers Many retailers claim only 500

kilograms of this copy is produced per year. Luwak droppings are

Indonesia's coffee gold. In recent years, it has become the talk of

dinner tables, bars and cafes around the world, for those it can afford

it. 75,000 rupiah a cup, £5, it is a it. 75,000 rupiah a cup, £5, it is a

big chunk of an average weekly wage share. At that cost, you can have it

filtered at your table. It is up to £60 a cup in America and Europe.

What was once a free drink for peasant coffee farmers is now

luxurious and expensive. Now you can drink Java produced from the back

end of the cats. You can imagine the number of nasty names people have

for this copy, crappuccino. We told you about a coffee. It is smooth and

delicious and an experience. A former coffee trader was among the

market. I ended up on late—night TV, market. I ended up on late—night TV,

feature articles, it went completely mad. It caught me by surprise. From

that, every company in the world realised if they wanted to get press

attention on their company, this was the way. We are here today to talk

about poop coffee. It has been the subject of much talk in the US

media, great material for headline writers and British comedians. Rich,

harvested at source, and then... aromatic and

This man believes the amounts This man believes the amounts

available does not add up. He fears that the animals are being battery

farmed. The coffee trade relies farmed. The coffee trade relies on

quality and consistency. The best way to do that is to keep them in

captivity? As thorough as there are captivity? As thorough as there are

concerns, from cages it is perfect. There are only 500 kilograms in

existence at any one time. Absolute nonsense. The reason that anybody

regurgitate that story is that by being incredibly rare, you can keep

it high priced. Howell is supplying meeting increasing demand? Is the

story of picking droppings from wild story of picking droppings from wild

cruel battery farm could be a cruel battery farm could be a

reality. We are travelling to North Sumatra, the heart of the

production. We have had to create a convincing cover story. We have

created a fake British luxury copy company and told suppliers we are

keen to import the drink. Our first meetings with a collector. He is the

middleman, collecting it The sale of the coffee appears to be

various farmers. He then sells it The sale of the coffee appears to be

Another collector with more samples this case

Another collector with more samples of

He shows me happy snaps of his colleagues and the farms. I wanted

to know more about captive coffee. Believing I am keen to place an

order, the agree to take the two—day informal call for farmers. —— take

me to a informal cooperative for farmers. In their plantations of the

art shape Highlands, the dark art shape Highlands, the dark

secrets behind one of the world's secrets behind one of the world's

kilograms is produced per year, this The cats a caged for coffee. Despite

kilograms is produced per year, this farmer says he supplies that much

per There were five captive animals

here. Two recently died. The farmer is this the animals are worked ——

well cared for. He insists that a forced the diet of coffee berries is

taking its toll. Just two kilometres away, a second

farm, more complaints of illness and distress hampering production.

So what do animal welfare experts make of the secret production line?

These animals and want to be as close to each other. This doctor

from the World Society for the Protection of Animals animals is a

specialist in animal behaviour. They specialist in animal behaviour. They

are absolutely miserable are absolutely miserable and

depressed. These wild animals have behaviours they want to express.

They are barren, filthy, there is nowhere for them to claim. There is

nowhere for them to really exercise in the way they need to. That is why

we are seeing a lot of the we are seeing a lot of the

symptoms, the abnormal behaviour, the pacing, the frenetic behaviour

patterns. Some of them just looked depressed. Can there be such a thing

as an ethical captive operation? depressed. Can there be such a thing

off area for his animals. Here, the This farmer has built a large fenced

They are solitary animals. In another area of the enclosure, sick

one has lost his poor will stop we one has lost his poor will stop we

are told it was missing? They have just left in

there. He can hardly walk. Nobody is doing anything. Injured animals can

be easily replaced. They are readily supplied by poachers. 50 have been

condemned to captivity at another farm. This is one of the largest

operations we have seen so far. There were all bought from poachers.

So they feed on the coffee berries and then's... The animals

So they feed on the coffee berries and then's.? I and then's.

So they feed on the coffee berries and then's... The animals used to be

His neighbour runs and other large operation. More signs of repetitive

behaviour from stress. There is a new addition to the farm.

behaviour from stress. There is a We have found the baby.

There was another surprise in this farm. This luwak is a rare breed.

Under Indonesian law, animals can only be taken from the wild under

licence. And with a strict quota on numbers. Laws that animal welfare

campaigners claim are ignored. The misery for it Indonesia 's blue wax

begins here, in their natural begins here, in their natural

habitat hunting. These illegal poachers used

externally, but humans are hunting. These illegal poachers used

to sell the animals from meat. Now they have a buyer wants them alive,

coffee farms. We are invited to see their work first hand. So this is

the luwak? The net. Gosh. the luwak? The net. Gosh. The

capture of the luwak using these simple home—made wire traps is the

start of a long chain of people making a profit off the black. ——

luwak. The profit made does not end luwak. The profit made does not end

at the farmers and their collectors. 500 kilos is made at

of Indonesia 's global exporter is. of Indonesia 's global exporter is.

Retailers that sell Indonesian kopi luwak do not claim it is produced by

droppings collected from the bottoms of dozens of cages containing

rainforest. The main rainforest.

responsibilities of the retailers are unfortunate limited to public

they sell. If the retailer is describing a product as being from

coffee, it is difficult to do that wild animals

commoditised product, it looks the in practice.

from. It is going to be very difficult for the retailer. Still

posing, I have a meeting with a captive luwak importer. We are told

there are 60 animals producing a reliable supply

retailers across Europe and the Far retailers across Europe and the Far

East. So is kopi luwak produced by East. So is kopi luwak produced by

it said it in captivity in the government global market? Let's meet

with exporters. For the coffee trader Tony Wilde has helped us

trader. Convinced we are interested trader. Convinced we are interested

in doing business, they have invited us to see their own plantations and

owned estate. After a tour, a us to see their own plantations and

owned estate. After a tour, a meeting with the Vice President. He

explains that they have two lakh products. The first comes from

collectors and independent farmers in the area, called Wales luwak.

collectors and independent farmers Wales.

Of course, he is unaware that we have filmed of factory farm that

claims to sell direct to him. But the Vice President 's admission that

they cannot guarantee anything... We they cannot guarantee anything... We

contacted them to form they have been investigated by BBC, they

responded by saying that they do ask farmers before they buy.

We are told they have a premium product made from droppings from

Wales luwak that wander freely onto their estate. Is this premium

product, after a long supply chain, that ends up on the shelves of one

of the world 's most famous of the world 's most

But these photos taken in December department, Harrods.

But these photos taken in December 2010 show a different image. It caps

on the Co SA, in some shown any captive civet cats, and

enclosure. shown any captive civet cats, and

someone who says they are happy and someone who says they are happy

well cared for and doesn't want to well cared for and doesn't want to

be identified. We put each luwak in its own space. As a metaphor is

clear that hose every day. —— the cement floor is cleaned and hosed.

The company says they The company says they have

enclosures for scientific research. The production and supply chain are

so complex, it is impossible to confident that caged civets are not

used to make products on sale in Harrods and other department stores.

But what is this well—known retailer make of our findings? Harrods said

their UK supplier has given them every assurance that coffee they are

provided with is organic and comes from Wales Palm civets. The added

that they were working with the UK supplier to investigate the evidence

from this programme. Back in from this programme.

northern Sumatra, we have met a northern Sumatra, we have met a

different exporter. We are about to get a taste of how ruthless that

kopi luwak trade can be. It's 430 in kopi luwak trade can be. It's 430 in

the morning, and it's just become terrifyingly clear to all of us that

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

men, one with a gun, the other an men,

business with the agent and no one agent for the exporter.

business with the agent and no one else. For our

business with the agent and no one leave. We are followed as we do.

The poachers, illegally snatching lakhs from the wild. The farmers,

confining the animals to a miserable existence. The collectors, offering

alternatives. The exporter of that keeps animals and hidden

enclosures, unable to make guarantees. Copy can be a ruthless

and competitive industry that relies on Frost along every part of the

supply chain —— Coffey. That's not a very pleasant sight at all. In fact,

it's horrific. To think that the it's horrific. To think that the

extraordinary boom in what is now an industry based upon wild animals

being kept in these conditions. The industry based upon wild animals

being kept in these conditions. The cages are horrible. Here is a poor

worse than a concentration camp. worse than a

It's really hideous. It's all It's really hideous. It's all

nonsense, absolute nonsense. It's an nonsense, absolute nonsense. It's an

outrage. People ought to outrage. People ought to do

something about this.