World’s most expensive cup of coffee comes from elephant dung

A Canadian inventor in Thailand is claiming that his brew made from elephant dung is the next big thing in the world of coffee.

The daily job of businessman Blake Dinkin is to explore an elephant sanctuary deep in the jungles of Thailand's Golden Triangle and look for fresh elephant dung.

His workers will then collect coffee beans from the dung. After the coffee beans are cleaned and roasted, he will sell it to high-end resorts, where customers pay 50 dollars per serving of the Black Ivory Cofee, a media report said.

The coffee beans are grown on a remote mountainside in the sanctuary. Local villagers pick, wash and dry the beans, then feed them to the elephants, along with a mixture of rice, fruit and water. Anywhere from 15 to 70 hours later, the beans are ready to be recovered.

It is believed that an elephant's digestive system breaks down the proteins of the coffee bean.

Only 100 kilograms, or roughly 220 pounds, has been produced so far.

But Dinkin plans to produce 300 kilograms, or around 660 pounds, more by next year.

The price doesn't matter for coffee drinkers, who say the rare coffee is rich and smooth.

Dinkin said business is booming. He hires veterinarians to tend to the elephants and pays their mahouts, the local Thai villagers who take care of the elephants, a fair salary that includes free health care for their families.

Dinkin is confident that people will like his "brew from No 2".

"It's not a coffee that people are going to wake up late for work craving. This is a special, unique coffee that is for a minority of people who are open minded and adventurous, and want to try something different," he said.

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