Expensive coffee equals cruelty to civets

[Catherine]

Civets are a medium sized mammal that lives in the forests of Indonesia. They eat some coffee beans as part of their diet. They don't really digest them, so some humans got the idea of taking the beans from their poop and making coffee out of it. The coffee sells for as much as $100.00 a cup.  This has led to Civet plantations where the animals are kept in terrible, unsuitable conditions where they are fed many more coffee beans than they would choose to eat.
So for the sake of an expensive cup of coffee many animals live retched lives and die of stress. 

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sr=1&ct2=...t=2&at=dt0

First let me say that this is real. People will actually pay a large amount of money for coffee made from beans that an animal has pooped out. Do you ever wonder who was the first person to fish a coffee bean from poop and actually eat it. They say it tastes very good, but there are limits to what I would do for a good cup of coffee.

I am not surprized that the result is cruel plantations. That seems to be what we do. We get an idea that we want to eat something and nothing is too weird or too cruel to be eaten and nothing is too weird or too cruel to stop our trying to get it.
(talk about an eating disorder)

[Tobi]

This is dreadful. I cannot believe Starbuck's are getiing into it. People will buy this to show off, or to pose with some kind of idea of 'status'!

http://www.themostexpensivecoffee.com/ta...ks-coffee/

How utterly ridiculous, and how heartless also.

The Civet cat has a rotten time. The excretions of their anal glands are taken to use in the perfume industry, as a 'base fixing essence':

http://purrfumery.com/pages/animal-musks...of-perfume

(Quoted from the website above) "But there is nothing sexy about this simple truth: In order for a perfume to contain animal musk, an animal must either be tortured or killed, or often both."

Not so of course in perfumes with a "without cruelty" or "vegan" label.

It truly is amazing, what humans will come up with next to ensure that animals are tortured, held in slavery, or killed horrendously....for the sake of ego and 'exoticism' or something that tastes unusual.

There are some petitions:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/931/941/9...n-farming/

https://www.change.org/p/barack-obama-th...civet-cats

https://animalpetitions.org/4033/pledge-...ct-civets/

[This petition to Harrod's UK achieved its signature goal already: https://www.change.org/p/harrods-cut-the...kopi-luwak )

[LPC]

Utterly bizarre. It is difficult to believe, but is clearly true, after having read all the links you both have given.

The thought of drinking coffee pooped by animals (one one page I saw that elephant poop coffee also exists) seems revolting. Why anyone would want to drink it, I find hard to understand. As for the cruelty, well that is terrible - and all so unnecessary.

[Tobi]

I don't want to be too negative. But things like that are usually a sign of a society's decadence.
Fortunately, in our society nowadays we also have millions of people who would not dream of doing such a thing, and who will fight for the rights of animals.

If this 'coffee' was a question of finding something out in Nature, and enjoying it (such as finding civet poop in the wild) then weird though it might sound, there would be nothing wrong with it. Okay we could accept that as a rare expensive delicacy, similar to truffles....or something. Although I don't think I would want to drink it.
But the idea of making a commercial product out of these animals -and force-feeding them something which in large quantities (or if the berries are eaten at the wrong stage of ripeness) -is no doubt toxic for them....well that is incredibly cruel.
Those poor creatures.

[Catherine]

Thank-you for all the links you found. 

I can see that I will be boycotting Starbucks in future. I will stop drinking coffee any where that sells the Civet poop kind.
It is just too weird in the first place and you are right, it is a sign of decadence when people seek weird foods like that.
Who knows, maybe I will have to give up coffee.

I knew about the musk, but I didn't realize it was from civets. I don't buy perfume. It has been so long I forget why, but I think the musk issue was part of it.

It is just another sign of how twisted humans can be.

Right now I think there are people who seek weird and cruel things in the name of pleasure and indulgence.

Balancing that are all the people who try to live ethical, cruelty free  lives.

I believe that we will prevail, but we do have to make sure people know about how things are done. If they choose cruelty after that, then I don't want them as friends.

[Tobi]

I would also boycott Starbucks, if I ever used the place. As it is, I never do, and buy my own ground coffee, and make it every morning for a miniscule fraction of the price Starbucks would charge me! Fortunately I am not a 'city person' and there isn't a coffee house within miles of my country dwelling.

Anyone now who has any sense will be buying their own ground coffee, and a vacuum flask to go with it, which they can take to work/commute/etc, to avoid having to buy ANY coffee at Starbucks!! And they will save a heck of a lot of money by making that decision!

Some companies just get too big for their bots and make very bad decisions. This was one of them. People generally, once they know what's going on, will make smart choices!

I never did like 'musk' added to perfume. I prefer essential oils, or nothing. Actually I prefer the scent of cut grass, lemon balm, or peppermint on me. That is easy. I just grab a bunch and rub it all over me. Unfortunately my roll on deodorant contains some scents which aren't so bad. But it is so cheap everything will be synthetic. I am not interested in those expensive designer perfumes which may contain animal substances.
My main 'perfume' is my orange in the morning. The zest goes all over me.

[Catherine]

I make my own coffee in the morning, but I pass dozens of coffee shops every day. I sometimes buy a coffee at lunch time, usually at Tim Hortons. They sell cheap coffee so I think they are safe. No one would pay for an expensive cup of coffee at Tim Hortons. I think they are even planning some vegan menu items.
I have used Star Bucks, but I won't go there again. I did have a gift card, but I must have used it up. Too bad I could have sent it back and told them why. I suppose I could look up their Facebook and tell them how I feel about the civet poop coffee.

If we pressure them enough they will give in.

Perfume is another issue.
I never wear actual scents on their own. I get scented body wash/lotion/ shampoo from a place that has never tested on animals.
I prefer the natural scents. Lemon is as strong as I get. The peppermint foot spay is great. I don't wear cosmetics.

I doubt I have ever worn musk. I think I was in school when I heard about how they get the musk.(my information was not totally accurate, but not wrong either) I never wanted to wear perfume. I have even been known to use unscented products.

If we all think over how we live and what we use we can at least avoid being part of the suffering.

I used to use orange peel as an insect repellant when I was hiking. While I was taking a break and eating an orange, I rubbed the oil from the peel into my skin.

[Tobi]

Yes there will be many coffee houses who won't go in for this cruel civet coffee, because they know their customers could turn against them overnight if they did! And because they have good ethics.
I am shocked actually, to hear Starbuck's support it!

I like very light natural scents. I am not someone who would never use anything scented. But I have a strong sense of smell, also strong reactions to what I smell. Some perfumes -most perfumes in fact -make me feel a horrible disharmony and I will wash them off as quick as I can. I dislike it very much if someone sprays me with 'their favourite perfume'....but I am usually polite. But can't get the smell off me quickly enough!
My favourites are natural scents, used sparingly....things like lavender oil, lemon, frankincense, pine resin etc. I LOVE the smell of pine and cedar.

(Tip....how to make your own cheap pine scented cologne...gather some resin which oozes from cracks in the tree bark. Mix it with some vodka, and keep it in a warm place shaking it up twice a day for at least a month. It works!) Actually this makes a 'tincture' of pine resin which is also good medicinally. But it will retain the scent. The more resin you put in, the less it will smell of alcohol, and the more it will smell like pine.)

[Catherine]

I am a little surprized at Starbucks. They tend to be expensive, but not that extreme. I suppose they are seeking high end customers.  I think the move will backfire on them. They will become the target of a campaign and they will lose the respect of the public.

The pine scent would be wonderfully fragrant. Maybe I can get some pine resin at Christmas and give my place a nice pine forest scent.

I certainly don't use and don't like strong perfumes. I agree with your list of natural scents. I would add vanilla to that list.

[Tobi]

Yes vanilla is light but can act as a good perfume 'base'. So can other natural (non-animal!) substances such as Oak Moss, Opopanax, vervain, etc.)

I once wanted to make perfumes but couldn't get an alcohol licence without paying money I didn't have! hahaha!

Ethanol is better than vodka for making colognes. But it is generally unavailable unless you have a licence. The thing about alcohol is it 'fixes' and preserves the volatile oils in the plants better generaly than oils. I experimented with lavender flowers in oil last year. and it did not last as long without smelling slightly 'cabbage-y' around May/June. There must be a better method than the oil infusion I used which I haven't discovered yet.

By the way, pine resin 'tinctured' in alcohol makes an excellent antiseptic! (Caution required when using it on animals though.)