Bigelow Tea
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Family-owned US tea company selling black, green and herbal teas.
Bigelow Tea can't show that the people who grow its tea in India and Sri Lanka earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It 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 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 rightsMost 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 mostly 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 Bigelow 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
Bigelow Tea names some of the countries its tea comes from: China, India and Sri Lanka. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Sri Lanka | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| KenyaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well 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). Source
Research notes Bigelow says Sri Lanka, India (Assam, Darjeeling) and China (Zhejiang) supply the vast majority of its green and black tea, with herbs from the US, Italy, Mexico, Chile, Thailand and Vietnam, but gives no shares, estate list or certification for its tea. It disclosed 6 tea suppliers in a 2021 BHRRC survey. It is a Certified B Corp (since 2019, recertified 2022 and 2025), but publishes no audits or wage data for tea estates. Its own Charleston Tea Garden is small.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Certified B Corp since April 2019, recertified in 2022 and 2025 (B Impact Score 103.1, per the company). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Answered BHRRC's 2021 tea supply chain survey, disclosing 6 tea suppliers; no allegations recorded. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Bigelow does not describe its teas as Fairtrade certified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Bigelow Tea - B Corp directory · search the archive · Listed as a Certified B Corp since April 2019
- Bigelow Tea - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · 2021 tea survey: 6 tea suppliers disclosed; no allegations recorded
- Bigelow Tea sources premium ingredients from farms and growers around the world (AP / NR Today, 2026) · search the archive · Tea from Sri Lanka, India (Assam, Darjeeling), China; herbs from US, Italy, Mexico, Chile, Thailand, Vietnam
Published by Bigelow Tea or its owner
- Where Does Bigelow Tea Source Their Ingredients? · search the archive · Sri Lanka, India (Assam, Darjeeling) and China supply the vast majority of its green and black tea; no shares or certifications (2026)
- Bigelow Tea's Sustainability Journey · search the archive · 450 employees; B Corp recertified 2022 and 2025 (score 103.1); Charleston Tea Garden
- Where Is Bigelow Tea Manufactured? · search the archive · Blended and packed in three US plants; own web shop offers AUD pricing
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 450
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bigelow Tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bigelow, 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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