Caffè Borbone
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Naples roaster selling espresso capsules, pods, beans and ground coffee.
Caffè Borbone can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Vietnam and Uganda 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 Caffè Borbone? 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 India and Colombia, 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
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Caffè Borbone'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
Caffè Borbone names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, India, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Uganda | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Tanzania | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Low |
| ColombiaUsual for the industry | 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 |
| 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 Caffè Borbone names Uganda, Vietnam, Brazil and India as its main coffee origins (Tanzania also appears on its website) but gives no shares or supplier names. About 45% of its 2024 coffee came from certified lots, without naming the schemes, against a target of 80% by 2026; some batches come through ofi's AtSource Verified programme. Suppliers sign a charter covering labour and human rights and fill in self-assessments, with field audits only when needed; there is no living wage or living income commitment. With ofi it funds a five-year training project for women and young coffee farmers in Uganda.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil, one of Caffè Borbone's main origins, is listed for child and forced labour. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Caffè Borbone entity appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Caffè Borbone does not name Fairtrade among the schemes behind its certified coffee. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (coffee) · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour
- Caffè Borbone and the Mwanyi Women and Youth Project (Beverfood) · search the archive · Five-year project with OFI training 500 women and young coffee farmers in south-western Uganda
- Caffè Borbone (Assaggia, Australia) · search the archive · Australian online retailer selling Caffè Borbone beans, capsules and pods
Published by Caffè Borbone or its owner
- Caffè Borbone Sustainability Report 2024 · search the archive · Main origins Uganda, Vietnam, Brazil, India; 45% certified in 2024, 80% target for 2026; partnership charter; 334 staff; Italmobiliare 60%
- Our sustainable development model (Caffè Borbone) · search the archive · Coffee mainly from Uganda, Vietnam, Brazil, Tanzania, India; importers ofi, NKG, ECON, LDC; ofi AtSource Verified batches
- Caffè Borbone FAQs · search the archive · Own online shop ships only to Italy and some European countries
Company details
- Owned by
- Italmobiliare S.p.A. (60%)
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 334
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Caffè Borbone ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/caffe-borbone, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded capsules and pods
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Caffè Borbone.