January 2014: Leading. iconic retailer Selfridges have recently made the decision to clear their shelves of civet coffee (also known as Kopi Luwak).
This coffee, which sells for around 186 pounds (300 dollars) per pound is made from coffee beans that have been partially digested and excreted by Asian palm civets, a small, nocturnal, cat-like mammal found in south-east Asia.
It is thought that the process improves the coffee as the civets select coffee berries containing better beans, while their digestive mechanisms improve the flavour of the beans that have been eaten.
A BBC investigation broadcast in September 2013 revealed the increased trend for civet coffee to be produced from civets taken from the wild and kept captive in appalling caged conditions.
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