The shocking conditions were discovered by animal investigators on farms in Indonesia and the Philippines which produce the much sought-after kopi kuwak, sold in Harrods and which can cost up to £60 a cup in some restaurants.
Locals pick the ‘coffee beans’ from the faeces the cats which eat the ripe coffee berries as part of their diet. Once they are cleaned they are roasted. The coffee they produce is described as filled with a deep, mellow flavour, not acidic, with a ‘unique, soft, sweet taste’.
However, undercover video footage shows civets exhibiting neurotic behaviour such as incessant pacing, spinning and head-bobbing – indications that the wild-caught animals are going insane from boredom and depression.
One farmer explained civets are generally kept caged for around three years. Another farmer compared civets eating too many coffee berries to humans smoking, as the civets' health deteriorates greatly during captivity because of a lack of vitamins and nutrition.
Despite the battery farm conditions, many farms sell the product as 'wild', sourced in the jungle from the droppings of free-roaming animals.
Tony Wild, former coffee trader and author of 'Coffee: A Dark History', told the BBC: 'The whole reason everybody regurgitates that story is that by being incredibly rare, you can keep a ridiculously high price.'
The coffee has surged in popularity, especially in the U.S. and Japan after featuring on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the film, The Bucket List.
In a separate investigation by the BBC, it was found one of the most popular products called Wahana Luwak, which is supplied to Harrods, was being produced by a company, Sari Makmur, which uses caged civets.
Workers said some civets were kept enclosed, despite initial denials from the company, which later backed down and admitted it DID use cages.
However, it said the product supplied to Harrods came only from free-range animals and animals were put inside only to study their behaviour.
The comapny said in a statement: 'In our caged civet cats programme, we study the animal behaviour, diet and its breeding behaviour.
'In order to sustain or meet the demand for this market, we breed our own civet cats and then release them in our farm when they are mature enough.
'We do not sell any of the coffee beans from the caged luwak as it is against our business model.'
There is no suggestion of animal cruelty on the company's estate.
Harrods said: 'Harrods works closely with all its suppliers to ensure the highest standards of ethical sourcing, production and trade are maintained. This is carried out through strict auditing procedures.
'Our exclusive supplier… has given Harrods every assurance the coffee we are provided with is organic, and comes from wild palm civets.'
PETA UK Associate Director Mimi Bekhechi said farms which do enclosed civets were cruel.
'Confining civet cats for years – as they go mad and lose their fur from the stress – for an expensive coffee would turn the stomach of any compassionate person.'
In the wild, civets frequently climb trees to reach the ripe coffee berries, but in captivity, they are fed more of the fruit than would ever be natural for them.
(Daily Mail UK - Sept 21, 2013)
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