Bahen & Co
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Small Margaret River chocolate maker making stone-ground chocolate.
There's no proof the people who grow its cocoa earn more than the legal minimum, which in Ecuador and Guatemala is well below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in countries such as Ecuador and Guatemala, 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
- Not met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts) where they're a major part of its range
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 Bahen & Co'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 cocoa is grown
Bahen & Co says its cocoa comes from Ecuador, Guatemala, Madagascar and Brazil. Product labels show Tanzania. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Madagascar | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Tanzania | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Low |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Papua New Guinea | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
- Uses hazelnuts in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Bahen & Co says it buys cacao direct from growers 'to the extent we are able' and pays well above certified-scheme prices, but publishes no prices, volumes, farm names or country shares. Its shop sells Ecuador, Guatemala and Papua New Guinea bars, its origins page describes unnamed farms in Papua New Guinea, Madagascar and Brazil, and stockists also sell a Tanzania bar; earlier bars used Vietnamese cacao. It holds no fair trade certification and says it checks growers' farming practices, not wages. A few lines contain hazelnuts, with no origin given. Brazil is on the US list for child labour in cocoa.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Not Fairtrade certified; the company says it deliberately does not use third-party fair trade certification. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification is claimed by the company. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Brazil, one of its origins, is on the US Department of Labor list for child labour; its other origins are not listed for cocoa. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | A small family business far below the A$100m threshold, so no modern slavery statement is required or lodged. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations involving Bahen & Co were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- US DOL – List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (cocoa) · search the archive · Cocoa from Brazil is listed for child labour; Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Guatemala, Tanzania and Vietnam are not listed for cocoa.
- Allpress – Direct from origin with Bahen & Co (2026) · search the archive · Cacao bought directly from five farms in Central and South America; collaboration uses Hacienda Victoria cacao from Ecuador (April 2026).
- WA Fine Arts & Crafts shop – Bahen & Co · search the archive · Stockist lists 26 Bahen & Co products incl. Madagascar and Tanzania bars; 3 contain hazelnuts (praline, orange & hazelnut, caramel hazelnuts).
Published by Bahen & Co or its owner
- Bahen & Co – Home · search the archive · Online shop trading in 2026; sells Guatemala, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea 75% bars and a house blend.
- Bahen & Co – Growers direct · search the archive · Buys grower direct 'to the extent we are able'; says it pays well above certified-scheme prices (no figures); no Fairtrade; no farms named.
- Bahen & Co – Origin · search the archive · Describes unnamed farms in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, the Sambirano Valley, Madagascar, and a Brazilian plantation employing 20 farmers.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bahen & Co ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bahen-and-co, 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 Bahen & Co.