B'lann people living in Mindanao, Philippines have an unusual and lucrative partnership with the wild palm civet(Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) living on the slopes of Mt. Matutum. For two decades they have been gathering coffee beans that have excreted by the civet in the forest. While it sounds unappetizing, the civet bean coffee brew can be sold for up to $80 a cup in markets like the US. Called balos by the native people, the civet is native to the protected forested slopes of the Mt. Matutum in Cotabato Province. While it looks something like a cat or large weasel, the animal is a distinct family, Viverridae. Villagers once killed them for food or because they preyed on chickens and crops, until they understood that the civets were figuratively laying the golden egg in the form of wild coffee beans. The Buan clan now protect the civets, hoping they will poop more coffee beans. Theire noturnal wandering also help the forest since they spread seeds of various plants, not just coffee. This partnership is mutually beneficial since the civet are free to live naturally and are not caged as in some Asian communities.
An Oxford University research group found in January that caged civets in a Balinese coffee plantation oriented towards the tourist trade were cruelly treated with their captors failing to meet basic animal welfare needs. Studies have found high mortality rates among captive civets. In a Buan hamlet known as Purok 8, civets are reverred for their economic contribution to the human community. Anyone found abusing a civet for the first time is fined $100, a considerable sum, while subsequent offenses could merit explusion from the community, a sort of death penalty for a tribe member.
Civet coffee, known ascopi luwakin Indonesia has a distinctive flavor since the animal picks the ripest fruits to eat, and its stomach enzimes and acids alter the coffee bean's chemical structure. Civets usually excrete the seeds in the morning before they sleep during the day. Villagers go out at dawn to collec the pooped seeds from the forest floor. If the seeds are not collected they grow into new coffee bean trees, repopulating the protected forest. Most of the coffee growing on Mt. Matutum is of the arabica variety, which prefers shady environments. Mt. Matutum's forests have been protected since 1995. The area comprises about 38,500 acres of which 7400 acres is still primary forest. At least 81 bird species have been documented living in the forests including rare endemic species such as the Mindanao lorikeet and bleeding heart dove. One hundred fifty four plant species have been identified. Headwaters of five major rivers arise on the mountain. Since civet hunting has stopped, other mamals such as deer, wild pigs and monkeys have also increased in number.
A local pastor was instrumental in bringing the gourmet coffee market to villagers in the mid 2000s. About 124 acres of coffee farms existed in the 1980s, but that has increased to 1240 acres now. Seventy percent of the coffee produced comes from the wild source. The cleaned civet beans marketed as "Kafe Balos" bring about $40.50/lb at the local market compared to $7.25/lbs for cultivated beans. With increasing income from the sale of gourmet coffee, villagers can afford to buy appliances, motorbikes and build improved houses. A villager called the civet poop, "their pot of gold".
In order to protect it, forest rangers regularly patrol the area. Unprotected forests suffer from slash and burn agriculture, poaching and illegal logging. The B'lann coffee culture is a win-win for nature and humans, so look at this video to know more: