Sounds like something I can do at home myself then.
I don't know about $120/lb coffee, but it's not that hard to find pretty expensive coffee. "Hula Daddy" Kona Coffee runs up to $90/lb, depending on the type:
http://www.huladaddy.com/catalog-coffee
And currently, Starbucks has a coffee going for nearly $80/lb ($40 for an 8.8-ounce bag):
http://store.starbucks.com/coffee/starbucks-reserve-coffee/
(I've noticed that Kopi Luwak really doesn't seem to show up on the radar of most coffee snobs, despite the claims of the sellers, which has always made me suspicious of it. Also, it's a lot more than $120/lb; it's not uncommon to find it going for over $300/lb.)
That being said, $100+/lb coffees are pure wankery. If people want to spend their money that way, so be it. But just because something is rare or expensive doesn't make it actually taste better.
Source: am coffee snob
Regarding robusta- first crack tends to be hard to hear, which can mess up your roast if you aren't careful. My subjective recommendation is to use them for ~10% of your total bean bill. Crema for days when you pull shots, great earthy flavor. Pairs really well with Sumatran beans.
Tldr: ask your local roaster for some or ask who their supplier is.
They have in depth reviews of all coffees. I've bought from them for years.
Once humans found this out, now civets are kept in cavity and fed just coffee berries (i.e., they have no choice, just eat whatever is put in from of them). Natually, the beans that come out will be no different than average coffee beans. Yes, there's this whole "civet digestive enzymes" part, but that plays a negligible role IMHO.
and typically abuse these poor animals in the process [1]
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/se...
This is a great example of taking a coasting or downward-trending venture and pivoting into something new, without sacrificing your existing cash flow.
It seems like the proof of concept is going well, confirming that the basic model is sound. What comes next is to scale it up.
The farmers are also researching existing innovations in the field (i.e. harvesters), with the goal of extending those innovations to meet the field's unique challenges.
They are also selling initial product, which although is much more expensive than similar products of this type, is serving to bootstrap continued and expanded production, with the goal of reducing price by increasing supply.
(Huh, I think I went off on a tangent and started taking about Tesla.)
I don't understand why people would throw shade onto this. Not only is this entrepreneurial spirit, it's _successful_ entrepreneurial spirit.
I wish them all the best!
EDIT: Spelling