Civet's Coffee Beans

Makilala, Cotabato - Japanese biochemist Dr Masaru Imada, an adjunct professor at the University of the Philippines Mindanao has been so passionate about civet coffee. For the last few months that he has been here he has visited Barangay Cabilao, a place where an experimental farm on civet coffee production is slowly thriving.

Lolo Mas as he is popularly called here has shared his talents on coffee teaching a core group of farmers how to prepare civet coffee beans. He has brought a few kilos to Japan and Lolo Mas said that the Japanese like the civet coffee very much.

Civet coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world. It is about Php7,000 a kilo in Tokyo, Lolo Mas said.

In the US, some Filipino Americans in California said that they pay around US $ 25 for a cup in some coffee shops there, a member of World-wide Filipino Alliance, an international organization said.

In Manila the cup of civet coffee commands to at least Php 250per cup. The price varies from coffee shops to coffee shops elsewhere. Dr. Imada since his visit here has been spending his time int he conduct of a scientific study about civet coffee. One time he told Cotabato Watch that Filipinos are really sitting on so many opportunities, which if tapped anytime, can greatly help them in their lives.

Dr. Imada is a consultant of Meiji Dairy Corporation inTokyo. His desire to help filipino coffee farmers has landed him to UP Mindanao where he is presently sharing his knowledge in biochemistry.

Photos were taken during the first consultation with the project beneficiaries last year.