Blendy
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 4 sources
Japanese instant and stick coffee brand made by Ajinomoto AGF.
Blendy's parent, Ajinomoto Group, scored 16/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain benchmark, and workers in Vietnam and Colombia are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and a failing or very low rating (KnowTheChain 16/100 in 2026, for the company it's rated with). 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 coffee is grown in countries such as Colombia 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 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Failing or very low score on an independent rating: KnowTheChain 16/100 (2026, the company it's rated with)
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its coffee is grown
These are Ajinomoto Group's coffee origins across all its brands; Blendy doesn't say where its own coffee is grown. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| BrazilUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | 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.
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Ajinomoto AGF makes Blendy in Japan and names Vietnam as a major source of coffee beans for its products; it gives no full list of origins or shares, and no certified share. A 2023 human rights assessment of its Vietnamese coffee supply chain found no clear child or forced labour but flagged oral contracts for harvest workers and safety risks in an exporter's warehouse. Since 2021 it has funded a project with Colombia's coffee federation for 55 farms in Valle del Cauca. Parent Ajinomoto scored 16/100 in KnowTheChain's 2026 food benchmark, with zero for monitoring and remedy.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Problem found | Parent Ajinomoto scored 16 out of 100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark, ranking 15th of 45 companies. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage Scorecard: Ajinomoto · search the archive · Score 16/100, rank 15 of 45; coffee listed as high-risk commodity; zero on monitoring and remedy
- Ajinomoto AGF signs Valle del Cauca coffee farmer project contract (Kyodo News PR Wire, 2023) · search the archive · AGF project with FNC and Mitsui supporting 55 coffee farms in Colombia since 2021; beans intended for Japanese consumers
- AGF Blendy Black Coffee Instant Powder Assortment (Asian Grocer Online) · search the archive · Blendy sold online by an Australian retailer
Published by Blendy or its owner
- Ajinomoto Group: human rights due diligence (coffee beans, Vietnam) · search the archive · AGF makes coffee products in Japan and names Vietnam as a major bean source; 2023 assessment found no serious abuses but oral contracts and warehouse safety risks; 2024 follow-up
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Blendy ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/blendy, last researched 30 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded beans and roasters
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Blendy.