Indlovu is a South African gin made from "elephant dung." To begin, the dried feces is dried and put through a sterilization process so it can be rinsed and dried once again to be infused in the gin. In addition to the unusual ingredient, the gin is also infused with traditional ingredients including coriander, aloe, acacia, and juniper–flavors that pair with extracts from the elephants' diet like grasses, roots, and bark.
"It's got an earthy, grassy-type flavor," said Ansley. "Depending on where we collect the botanicals or which elephants we collect botanicals from, the gin flavor is going to change slightly."
The founders of Indlovu, the Ansleys, were inspired to make the unique Gin after visiting an animal reserve in South Africa. They learned that elephants are extremely particular about the food they forage, however, only half of the plants are absorbed–leaving the other half to remain intact in their feces.
Image Credit: Indlovu
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Novel Ingredient Spirits
- There is an opportunity for distilleries to experiment with uncommon ingredients, such as elephant feces, to create unique spirits.
- Sustainable Sourcing
- Indlovu Gin showcases how utilizing a byproduct in a thoughtful, sustainable manner can create an innovative product.
- Customizable Flavor Profiles
- Collecting botanicals from different elephants or areas creates unique flavor characteristics and presents an opportunity to offer personalized flavor profiles to consumers.
Where This Applies
- Craft Distillery
- Craft distilleries can capitalize on the distillation of unique and ethically sourced ingredients to create exclusive spirits for consumers.
- Eco-tourism
- Animal reserves and eco-tourism industries can create sustainable revenue streams through partnerships with distilleries that utilize waste, such as elephant feces, to produce new products.
- Food and Beverage
- Indlovu Gin demonstrates an opportunity for restaurants and bars to offer one-of-a-kind, adventurous drinks using novel, sustainable ingredients.
