Black Ivory Coffee: What Makes Elephant Dung Coffee So Expensive?

Ever wondered what kind of coffee sells for $1500 a cup? Or how coffee beans picked from elephant poop end up in luxury cafes? This isn’t a joke — it’s real, it’s rare, and it’s one of the most unusual specialty coffees in the world. If you’ve heard of 'cat poop coffee' (Kopi Luwak), this takes it one step further.

The answer is Black Ivory Coffee, also known as 'elephant dung coffee.' It costs around $1500 per cup, and yes — the beans are retrieved from elephant feces after the animals digest carefully selected coffee cherries.

What Is Black Ivory Coffee?

Black Ivory Coffee is the commercial name for elephant-processed coffee, inspired by Kopi Luwak — coffee that passes through a civet’s digestive tract. But instead of civets, this coffee relies on elephants. The project was started by Canadian entrepreneur Blake Dinkin, who partnered with hotels in northern Thailand to produce it.

Here’s the twist: coffee cherries are fed to elephants along with fruits and rice. The beans then ferment naturally inside the elephant’s gut, before being excreted. Workers collect the dung, carefully extract the beans, wash them, and roast them for sale.

How Elephant Digestion Changes the Coffee Flavor

According to creators, the prolonged digestion period — between 15 to 30 hours — allows natural fermentation to take place inside the elephant’s stomach. Enzymes in the elephant’s digestive system are said to break down proteins responsible for coffee bitterness. That results in a brew that’s smoother, fruitier, and less acidic than conventional coffee.

The coffee is described as having natural grassy and fruity notes, with almost no bitterness. While taste is subjective, the process claims to create a uniquely smooth cup.

How Black Ivory Coffee Is Made — Step by Step

The production process is labor-intensive and slow, which explains the sky-high price:

• Coffee cherries are harvested and mixed with fruits and rice to make them appealing to elephants.
• Elephants are fed the mixture; each elephant eats around 33 kilograms of raw coffee cherries.
• After digestion (15–30 hours later), workers collect the dung.
• The beans are carefully picked out from the feces.
• The beans are washed and processed for roasting.
• Finally, the roasted beans are brewed — resulting in a single cup that can cost up to $1500.

From 33 kg of consumed coffee cherries, only 1 kg of usable beans is produced. That’s a yield of roughly 3%.

Is It Ethical? And Where Does the Money Go?

Out of every dollar made from Black Ivory Coffee, 8% is donated to local elephant rescue organizations. The project also supports the livelihoods of elephant caretakers, or mahouts. The coffee is not mass-produced — keeping the process small-scale helps maintain ethical standards and animal welfare.

The elephants involved are not harmed or force-fed. The coffee cherries are simply part of their diet, alongside their regular food.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Black Ivory Coffee and how much does it cost?

Black Ivory Coffee is a specialty coffee made from beans that have been digested and excreted by elephants. Each cup can cost around $1500 due to the rarity, labor-intensive production, and unique processing method.

Why do people drink coffee that comes from elephant poop?

Despite the unusual origin, drinkers are drawn to the coffee’s reportedly smooth, less bitter taste with natural fruity and grassy notes. The uniqueness and story behind the coffee also add to its luxury appeal.

How are the coffee beans extracted from elephant dung?

After the elephants digest the coffee cherries (mixed with fruits and rice), workers collect their feces and manually pick out the undigested coffee beans, which are then cleaned and roasted.

How many coffee beans are produced per elephant?

An elephant consumes around 33 kilograms of coffee cherries, but only about 1 kilogram of usable beans is retrieved afterward — a yield of roughly 3%.

Is Black Ivory Coffee production ethical?

Yes, according to the producers. Elephants are not harmed, the cherries are part of their regular diet, and 8% of profits support elephant rescue initiatives and local mahouts.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Unique Profiles

While FrontStreet Coffee doesn’t roast elephant-processed beans, try their Ethiopia Humbera for vibrant fruitiness or Kenya Little Tomato for bright acidity and wine-like tones. Both showcase complex, natural profiles that highlight fruit and ferment-like qualities — somewhat echoing the exotic notes of Black Ivory. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.