Byron Bay Coffee Company
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-run coffee roaster in the Byron Bay hinterland.
Byron Bay Coffee Company can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Colombia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Byron Bay Coffee Company? Send a right of reply.
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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 a hidden, unaudited supply chain 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 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
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 Byron Bay Coffee Company'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 coffee is grown
Byron Bay Coffee Company names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Colombia. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| BrazilUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | 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.
Research notes The company grew its own coffee in the Byron hinterland when it started, but now roasts green beans bought from overseas and names no origin countries apart from a Colombian single origin. Some blends are Rainforest Alliance certified (from Central and South American farms) and some are certified organic, but the share of the range is not given. It publishes no supplier list, modern slavery statement or sourcing policy.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Colombia, the one origin the company names, is listed for child labour. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | A small family roaster below the A$100 million revenue threshold for Australian modern slavery reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Rainforest Alliance: Byron Bay Coffee Company · search the archive · Byron Bay Coffee Company coffee listed as Rainforest Alliance certified in Australia
- World Vision Good Coffee Guide · search the archive · Older guide (about 2014) listed only its Utopia and Decaf blends as Rainforest Alliance certified
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Colombia listed for child labour
- Woolworths: Byron Bay Coffee Company Organic Espresso Beans · search the archive · Sold at Woolworths; made from imported ingredients
Published by Byron Bay Coffee Company or its owner
- Byron Bay Coffee Company: Our Story · search the archive · Founded 1989 on a 12-acre farm; now sources green beans worldwide; family-run independent roastery; Rainforest Alliance
- Byron Bay Coffee Company FAQs · search the archive · Organic coffee imported from OCIA-certified plantations; Rainforest Alliance coffees from Central and South America
- Byron Bay Coffee Company homepage · search the archive · Colombian single origin is the only origin named; organic and mycotoxin-tested ranges
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Byron Bay Coffee Company ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/byron-bay-coffee, last researched 3 November 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 Byron Bay Coffee Company.