Bell Tea
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 8 sources
New Zealand tea brand owned by JDE Peet's, selling black and green tea.
Bell Tea can't show that the people who grow its tea in Kenya and Sri Lanka 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.
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, China and Indonesia, 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 Bell 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
Bell Tea names some of the countries its tea comes from: Kenya and Sri Lanka. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalawiUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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: 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)
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Bell Tea is blended and packed in New Zealand. Its own range names Kenya (Kenya Bold) and Ceylon (Ceylon Finest) as origins, but it does not name estates, suppliers or shares for its main blends. Retail listings say its tea is 100% Rainforest Alliance certified, and owner JDE Peet's says all tea it bought for Europe and New Zealand in 2025 was third-party certified. Bell is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership. It publishes no list of estates and no wage data for tea workers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Company profile (as part of Jacobs Douwe Egberts) lists no stories or response requests; tagged to the 2021 tea supply chain survey. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Owner JDE Peet's filed a 2025 modern slavery statement on the UK register (group level). View |
Sources and actions
Sources 8
Show all 8 sources
- Bell Tea company profile (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Profile lists Bell Tea as part of Jacobs Douwe Egberts with no stories or response requests
- JDE Peet's Modern Slavery Statement 2025 (UK register) · search the archive · JDE Peet's group modern slavery statement for 2025
- JDE acquires BrewGroup New Zealand (BeanScene) · search the archive · JDE acquired BrewGroup, owner of Bell Tea, in New Zealand
- Bell Black Tea Bags Original (Woolworths NZ) · search the archive · Packed in New Zealand; 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified; sold by New Zealand retailers only, no Australian listing found
Published by Bell Tea or its owner
- Our Tea (Bell Tea) · search the archive · Range includes Kenya Bold, Kenya Bold Decaf and Ceylon Finest black teas
- About Us (Bell Tea) · search the archive · History since 1898; blends locally in New Zealand; sources teas from across the globe; footer copyright Jacobs Douwe Egberts
- Sustainability (Bell Tea) · search the archive · Bell Tea is packed in New Zealand and is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership
- Responsible sourcing (JDE Peet's) · search the archive · 99.5% of JDE Peet's tea met responsible sourcing requirements in 2025; 100% of tea sourced for Europe and New Zealand third-party certified; Ethical Tea Partnership member
Company details
- Owned by
- JDE Peet's
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bell Tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bell-tea, last researched 23 October 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 Bell Tea.