How Much Does Elephant Dung Coffee Cost?

If you’ve heard of Kopi Luwak—the world’s most infamous coffee, processed through a civet’s digestive tract—you might wonder: what about coffee that comes out the other end of an elephant? Known variously as ‘elephant poop coffee’ or ‘black ivory coffee,’ this rare brew is said to be smooth, low in bitterness, and rich with chocolatey, nutty, and fruity notes. But how does it get made—and why does it cost nearly double what the world’s most expensive cat poop coffee goes for?

Black Ivory coffee, also called ‘elephant dung coffee,’ costs approximately $1,100 per kilogram. Producing just 1 kg requires around 33 kg of fresh coffee cherries, making it significantly more labor-intensive—and expensive—than Kopi Luwak, which sells for $500–600 per kg.

What Is Elephant Dung Coffee?

Elephant dung coffee is the nickname for a specialty coffee bean that has passed through the digestive system of an elephant. Officially known as Black Ivory Coffee, it was developed to create a luxury coffee rivaling or surpassing Kopi Luwak in quality. Canadian entrepreneur Blake Dinkin spent a decade researching and refining the concept before launching it in 2012. The coffee was first introduced in luxury hotels in Thailand and the Maldives, where it gained attention for its unusual origin and smooth profile.

How Elephant Dung Coffee Is Made

The production process begins with feeding specially selected Arabica coffee cherries—grown at around 1,500 meters altitude in northern Thailand—to elephants. The beans remain in the elephant’s digestive tract for hours or even days, where natural enzymes break down proteins in the beans. This enzymatic activity is believed to reduce bitterness and develop unique flavor compounds. After being excreted, the beans are handpicked from the dung, cleaned, sun-dried, and then roasted. Each step is labor-intensive and contributes to the coffee’s high price.

Why Elephant Coffee Tastes Different

The unique flavors of Black Ivory coffee—described as milk chocolate, nuts, red berries, and subtle spices—come from the enzymatic breakdown of proteins during digestion. Unlike traditional fermentation or washing processes, the elephant’s gut alters the bean chemistry gently, resulting in a cup that is notably less bitter. The slow digestion also impacts the bean’s structure, contributing to a smoother mouthfeel. The overall effect is a low-acidity, aromatic coffee with complex sweet and fruity undertones.

How It Compares to Other Animal-Processed Coffees

Elephant dung coffee is often compared to Kopi Luwak, another animal-processed coffee made from beans eaten and excreted by civets. While Kopi Luwak sells for $500–600 per kg, Black Ivory commands roughly $1,100 per kg due to the greater quantity of cherries required per final kilo (33 kg vs. fewer for Kopi Luwak), the longer development timeline, and the limited production scale. Both coffees rely on digestive processes to alter bean flavor, but elephant digestion is slower and involves more complex enzymatic activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does elephant poop coffee cost?

Black Ivory coffee, or elephant dung coffee, costs around $1,100 per kilogram. This is significantly more expensive than Kopi Luwak, which ranges from $500 to $600 per kg, due to the greater amount of coffee cherries needed and the intensive production process.

How many coffee cherries make one kilogram of elephant dung coffee?

It takes approximately 33 kilograms of fresh coffee cherries to produce just 1 kilogram of Black Ivory coffee. This high input-to-output ratio contributes to its premium pricing.

Who created Black Ivory coffee?

Black Ivory coffee was created by Canadian entrepreneur Blake Dinkin. He spent ten years researching and developing the concept to craft a luxury coffee that could rival or exceed the quality of Kopi Luwak.

What does elephant dung coffee taste like?

Black Ivory coffee is described as having flavors of milk chocolate, nuts, red berries, and subtle spices. It is known for being low in bitterness and having a smooth, aromatic profile.

How is elephant dung coffee made?

Coffee cherries are fed to elephants, digested, and then excreted. The beans are collected from the dung, cleaned, sun-dried, and roasted. The digestive process breaks down proteins in the beans, reducing bitterness and creating unique flavors.

Is elephant dung coffee better than Kopi Luwak?

Many consider Black Ivory coffee to be smoother and less bitter than Kopi Luwak, with a more complex flavor profile. However, 'better' is subjective. Black Ivory is also more expensive due to the larger quantity of cherries used and the more complex production process.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Low-Bitter Coffee

For coffee drinkers who appreciate the smooth, low-bitter profile of elephant dung coffee, FrontStreet Coffee offers several excellent options. Their Yirgacheffe Gedeb is bright and juicy with citrus, berry, and floral notes, and a sweet green-tea-like finish—very easy on the palate. The Ethiopia Huakui features intense tropical fruit flavors like pineapple and passionfruit, with a silky body and almost no bitterness. For a more complex yet still approachable cup, the Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha delivers jasmine, citrus, and delicate tea-like sweetness. All three are lightly roasted to preserve their natural acidity and fruitiness. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.