Axil Coffee Roasters
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Melbourne specialty coffee roaster and café group.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage, and Axil Coffee Roasters has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 5
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its coffee is grown in countries such as Colombia and Laos, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Axil Coffee Roasters's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its coffee is grown
Axil Coffee Roasters names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Colombia, Kenya and Laos. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Laos | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| HondurasUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PeruUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| UgandaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GuatemalaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: coffee is on the US Department of Labor child or forced labour list for over a dozen countries, and farm-gate prices often fall below a living income. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- Built around direct trade with named farms or producers
Research notes Axil is an independent Melbourne roaster founded in 2010, with about 300 staff (Beanscene, 2023) and cafes in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It says its buyers visit farms each harvest, negotiate prices directly and pay 25% more than the Fairtrade price, and it names some producers. Its Heavyweight blend comes from Brazil, Colombia and Laos; single origins change by season. It publishes no prices, volumes, importer list or independent checks, holds no certifications and also buys through importers. No shares by country are given.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Axil Coffee Roasters does not appear in Fairtrade, FLOCERT or Fairtrade ANZ results as a licensed Fairtrade coffee brand. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification listing for Axil Coffee Roasters was found in the B Corp directory. View |
| World Fair Trade Organization | Not listed | Axil Coffee Roasters is not listed as a WFTO member or Guaranteed Fair Trade enterprise. View |
| Open Supply Hub | Not listed | No production locations linked to Axil Coffee Roasters appear on Open Supply Hub. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No modern slavery statement from Axil Coffee Roasters appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. Other Australian coffee roasters do appear there, but this company does not. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Not listed | No modern slavery statement from Axil Coffee Roasters appears in the UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | The US Department of Labor list names goods and countries, not individual brands, so Axil Coffee Roasters is not named. Coffee from some countries appears on the list for child or forced labour risks. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | No UFLPA Entity List entry or CBP Withhold Release Order naming Axil Coffee Roasters was found. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has no company page or allegations recorded for Axil Coffee Roasters. Its coffee-sector coverage does not name the company. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | Axil Coffee Roasters is not assessed in the KnowTheChain forced labour benchmarks. View |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Not listed | Axil Coffee Roasters is not among the companies benchmarked by the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Axil Coffee discusses growth (Beanscene, 2023) · search the archive · Team of about 300 staff and 19 cafes.
- Behind the Beans - AIM2Flourish · search the archive · Describes Axil's direct-trade approach and buying trips to origin countries including Brazil and Colombia.
- Axil Coffee Roasters - Beanz · search the archive · Founded 2010 in Hawthorn, Melbourne; 16 Melbourne locations and wholesale accounts.
Published by Axil Coffee Roasters or its owner
- Sustainability - Axil Coffee · search the archive · Self-reported direct trade model; pays 25% more than the current Fairtrade price; buyers visit and score farms.
- Wholesale Specialty Coffee Suppliers - Axil · search the archive · Sources both directly from producers and via importers; says it pays well above Fairtrade rates; some relationships exceed 15 years.
- Heavyweight Blend - Axil Coffee · search the archive · Main espresso blend: Brazil, Colombia and Laos.
- Filter coffee - Axil Coffee · search the archive · Current single origins include a named Colombian producer (Linarco Rodriguez) and Muchagara from Kenya
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 300
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Axil Coffee Roasters ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/axil-coffee-roasters, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Axil Coffee Roasters.