Butlers Chocolates
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Dublin chocolatier making boxed chocolates, truffles and bars.
Butlers Chocolates publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list, and we couldn't confirm where it gets most of its cocoa.
Also worth knowing
Most cocoa is grown in countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, where workers are very unlikely to earn 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 has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden supply chain. 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where cocoa is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ecuador, Cameroon and Nigeria.
- 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: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
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 Butlers Chocolates'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
We couldn't confirm where Butlers Chocolates gets most of its cocoa, so this shows where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 45% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | 25% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Ecuador | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cameroon | 10% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
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.
- 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 Butlers says its chocolate is made from 100% sustainably sourced cocoa through Cocoa Horizons, a farmer programme run by the cocoa supplier Barry Callebaut, and reported 98.4% of its cocoa came through it in 2021. Cocoa Horizons is not an independent certification, and Butlers names no origin countries, farms or cooperatives (it funds charity work for cocoa-farming families in Côte d'Ivoire) and publishes no farm audit or wage data. It uses no palm oil; hazelnut pralines and truffles are part of the range, with no hazelnut sourcing disclosed.
What independent sources say
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Butlers Chocolates Origin Green Gold Member Case Study 2022 · search the archive · 98.4% of cocoa from Cocoa Horizons in 2021; family-owned; made in Dublin
- Butlers (Selfridges Australia) · search the archive · Butlers chocolates, including hazelnut milk chocolate truffles, sold on Australian storefront
Published by Butlers Chocolates or its owner
- Produce with Purpose (Butlers Chocolates) · search the archive · 100% sustainably sourced cocoa via Cocoa Horizons; zero palm oil in chocolate recipes
- Our Heritage (Butlers Chocolates) · search the archive · Sorensen family owned; Clonshaugh factory; over 500 staff; 30 cafés
- Trade customers, stockists and enquiries (Butlers Chocolates) · search the archive · Ships worldwide from its website; Australian distributor Apromo Trading
- Our Ethics (Butlers Chocolates) · search the archive · Family-owned Dublin maker; over 500 staff; supports programmes for cocoa-farming families in Côte d'Ivoire
Company details
- Headquarters
- Ireland
- Employees
- About 500
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Butlers Chocolates ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/butlers-chocolates, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded chocolate
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Butlers Chocolates.