History of Civet Coffee
During the early 1700s, the Dutch colonialists imported coffee beans from Yemen into islands in the Dutch East Indies or modern day Indonesia. In 1830, the Dutch established the Cultivation System (Cultuurstelsel) to dedicate coffee production as export crops and forbade native farmers from using their coffee harvests for personal use. Because their livelihood depended on their coffee harvests, the native farmers discovered that the Asian palm civets excreted coffee beans and collected them. After cleaning, roasting, brewing, and grounding them, the coffee farmers noticed that the beans had a stronger and smoother aroma and taste than those of regular coffee. Since then, the uniqueness and exclusivity of civet coffee commanded higher prices and gained immense popularity across the world.