Labour Lens

Barry's Tea

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Tea

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources

Family tea company from Cork, Ireland, selling black tea blends.

Barry's Tea can't show that the people who grow its tea in Kenya and Uganda earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
  • 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.

How grades are decided

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 tea is grown in India, 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

Accreditations 1

Estimates for its products

Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Barry's Tea'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 tea is grown

Barry's Tea says which countries its tea comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.

Where its tea is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
KenyaSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
UgandaSystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
RwandaRegular violationsFar below a living wageModerate
IndiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing) Source

Research notes About 95% of Barry's tea is bought through state tea agencies representing smallholders in East Africa (KTDA in Kenya, UTGA in Uganda and OCIR in Rwanda), with the rest from estates in Assam, India and Kenya; it gives no shares by country and publishes no supplier list. Its products are Rainforest Alliance certified, a standard that is weak on wages, and it says it pays above-average prices, but it publishes no audit results, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment. No labour abuses linked to its suppliers have been reported.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)Not listedBarry's Tea uses Rainforest Alliance certification, not Fairtrade. View

Sources and actions

Sources 4

Show all 4 sources
  1. Barry's Gold Blend Tea 80s (Woolworths) · search the archive · Barry's Gold Blend sold by Woolworths in Australia
  2. Barry's Tea (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Founded 1901 in Cork; sold in Ireland, UK and parts of Australia, US and Canada

Published by Barry's Tea or its owner

  1. Barry's Tea ethics · search the archive · About 95% bought via KTDA, UTGA and OCIR in East Africa; estates in Assam and Kenya; Rainforest Alliance farms; above-average prices
  2. Barry's Tea sustainability · search the archive · Products are Rainforest Alliance Certified; founded in Cork in 1901

Company details

Headquarters
Ireland
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Barry's Tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/barrys-tea, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

Better-graded tea

Trade AidTeaFair trade tea, coffee, chocolateHolds WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade and publishes its suppliers.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Open supply chain; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities5 starsDaintree TeaTeaAustralian-grown unblended black teaMakes its products in its own factories in Australia, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsNumi Organic TeaTeaOrganic and fair trade teasHolds Fairtrade certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 stars

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Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Barry's Tea.

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