Black Ivory Coffee – the only elephant-refined coffee – is considered the rarest (and most expensive) coffee on the planet. Our limited-edition harvest is approximately 500 pounds of coffee beans per year, due to our unique and labour-intensive production process as well as high standards of ethics. The limited supply means only a select group of customers are able to enjoy this unique taste experience. Discover more about why our elephant-refined coffee is so rare – and prized.
Unique Production Process
Black Ivory Coffee is produced by elephants living in Surin, Thailand. The elephants consume high-quality Thai Arabica coffee cherries, which undergo natural fermentation in the elephants’ digestive system. Why do we involve elephants? Enzymes in their stomachs break down proteins in the coffee cherry, reducing bitterness, and natural fermentation imparts a smooth, complex flavour, with notes of chocolate, tamarind, and spices.
Fermentation is a real buzzword in coffee production, as it enhances flavour. Coffee producers experiment with various methods of fermentation post-harvest, trying different yeasts to intensify the effects. Some place the cherries in air-tight barrels to create anaerobically fermented coffee. The elephants’ digestive system replicates this fermentation process – completely naturally.
After digestion (12–72 hours), the beans are hand-picked from the elephant dung and thoroughly washed, then sun-dried and roasted. This intricate process is unlike conventional coffee production and requires significant effort, which increases the scarcity of our coffee beans.
“There is a reason why I remain the only person in the world making this coffee,” says founder Blake Dinkin. “It is an extremely arduous process. Everything is painstakingly thought out and executed by hand, from which beans to use to which foods to give, cleaning and sorting the coffee, and so on.”
High Ethical Standards
Black Ivory Coffee prioritises ethical treatment of the elephants over high yields. Firstly, coffee cherries are a favourite snack for elephants, who forage for ripe cherries in the wild. We mix the cherries into their feed, adding additional tasty and nutritious foods they don’t always get in their normal diet, such as ripe bananas and rice bran. “We don’t overdo the coffee cherries,” says Dinkin. “The proportion is less than 1% of the elephants’ daily intake. The elephants love coffee cherries, but we don’t want them to get sick of the taste. I love chocolate, but I wouldn’t want to eat a kilo of chocolate in one day!”
The coffee cherries are meant to be a healthy snack. “If the elephants didn’t want to eat the coffee cherries, they would spit them out,” says Dinkin. “Elephants are highly intelligent and strong-willed creatures. They are also big and strong, so even if someone was ever tempted to over-feed them cherries (and we certainly wouldn’t dream of it), the elephants would rebel, and you would find yourself in real trouble.”
A man recently tried to make his own ‘human-refined coffee’, but became extremely ill from ingesting so many beans at once (do not try this at home). His prank resulted in seven days in hospital and several operations, and he nearly died. He documented it all on Instagram and hopefully has no lasting damage. Obviously, we take extremely good care of our elephants, but you can recognise how overfeeding any animal (or person) coffee cherries would be a bad idea indeed.
Humanitarian Efforts
In addition to caring for the elephants, Black Ivory Coffee’s ethos also prioritises the mahouts (who tend the elephants) and the other people who help gather, clean, and roast the beans. Your purchase of Black Ivory Coffee helps support local communities and students.
Limited Numbers of Elephants
Another factor increasing the rarity of elephant coffee is that Black Ivory Coffee is produced by a limited number of elephants. This quality-control measure further reduces the total volume of Black Ivory Coffee produced.
Because of our focus on sustainability and animal welfare, we limit our scalability compared to other specialty coffees. For instance, in the case of civet coffee, there have been accusations of unethical practices, from caged animals and overcrowding to overfeeding or even force-feeding, which severely affects the health and wellbeing of many civets. It is also difficult to assess whether you are buying ‘true’ civet coffee, whereas Black Ivory Coffee has a reputation for high ethical standards and 100% assured authenticity – our Black Ivory Coffee is 100% elephant-refined.
Quality over Quantity
Because of how elephant-refined coffee is made, we need approximately 20 kilograms of coffee cherries to produce a single kilogram of Black Ivory Coffee beans. Some cherries are broken or lost. The cherries may fall to the ground as the elephants chew them, or the elephants might excrete them in hard-to-recover locations like fields or even rivers if the elephant is wading or swimming. In 2023, the Black Ivory Coffee harvest was approximately 225 kilograms (495 pounds), and in 2024, the harvest was just under 500 pounds, making Black Ivory Coffee extremely scarce.
The Highest Quality Standards
Black Ivory Coffee is made with hand-picked Thai Arabica cherries. Only the ripest cherries are selected, to deliver a superior bean, as unripe berries may result in a sour taste.
Founder Blake Dinkin has a genuine passion for coffee and is on a never-ending quest for the very best coffee cherries. He constantly travels to coffee farms and plantations in Thailand, comparing coffee varietals, evaluating different altitudes (and how that affects flavour) and investigating different production methods. Dinkin is committed to helping Black Ivory Coffee customers enjoy the best and most unique cup of coffee they ever tasted.
Taste Black Ivory Coffee for yourself
Fermentation and Bean Size
Dinkin investigates and evaluates every stage of the coffee creation process. Fermentation is a crucial process in creating a smooth and flavourful coffee. The elephants are herbivores, so their stomachs are an ideal ‘fermentation vat’ for creating flavourful coffee. He also looks into new technologies and processes for coffee production, such as anaerobic fermentation, which could be implemented before the elephants eat the cherries. And once Black Ivory Coffee cherries are removed from the dung, he removes the cherry skin right away, to stop the fermentation process at the ideal time.
Bean size is another key element in coffee production, affecting the roasting time, flavour and overall coffee quality. When separating out the beans for roasting, coffee producers want consistency in size, to produce an even roast. Black Ivory Coffee’s founder is meticulous and rejects the smallest beans, screening for size 16-18. Most producers include size 15 beans, but Black Ivory Coffee rejects these smaller beans, because larger beans are believed to result in a richer flavour. Having such strict guidelines does mean we say no to some beans, but the result is a superior coffee product.
Exclusivity and Higher Costs
The labor-intensive process to produce Black Ivory Coffee, as well as our limited harvest and ethical commitments, all result in a higher price – around $3000 per kilogram, or $75 per cup. The limited-edition coffee is available online, in restricted quantities, making it accessible worldwide, but only to a niche market of adventurous coffee enthusiasts
A Unique Experience – and Gift
Black Ivory’s combination of a one-of-a-kind, elephant-based fermentation process, extremely limited harvests and ethical production standards sets it apart as the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world. This also makes limited-edition Black Ivory Coffee a unique and meaningful gift. When you select a subscription, you don’t need to use the same address for each delivery, meaning you can also share this rare coffee experience with friends and family.
