Cailler
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Nestlé-owned Swiss chocolate brand making bars and pralines at Broc.
Cailler can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (child labour, last recorded in 2023) was found by its own checks and is being fixed.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Cailler looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found child labour in 2023 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. An independent scheme it belongs to also found unsafe conditions in 2012, which it's fixing. They're listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 2 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 its cocoa is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ecuador, Brazil 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found child labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade. An unconfirmed report of forced and child labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- 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 rangeOnly in a few products: hazelnuts
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
| 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 Cailler'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
Côte d'Ivoire has the largest share, 47%. Ecuador is next, at 15%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 47% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador | 15% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | 14% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | 5% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Cameroon | 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | 2% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Venezuela | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Not rated | High |
| Peru | under 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | under 1% | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for chocolate: finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring).
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Cailler says all its products are Rainforest Alliance certified and its cocoa comes through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, but it names no origin countries; the shares shown are Nestlé's group cocoa origins for 2024. In 2024, 88.9% of Nestlé's cocoa came through the Cocoa Plan, whose child labour monitoring covered about 124,000 households in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana; there is no evidence farmers earn a living income. Milk comes from about 44 local IP-SUISSE farms. Hazelnut lines such as Frigor are a minor share. It is sold only in Switzerland.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Nestlé ranked 6th of 34 medium and large manufacturers in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard; it scored 70% in 2025, just below the top tier. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Nestlé Australia lodges annual modern slavery statements. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, Nestlé's largest West African origins, is on the US list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Tracks child labour allegations and lawsuits over Nestlé's cocoa supply chain, with Nestlé's responses. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Cailler says all its cocoa comes from Rainforest Alliance certified farms; it is not Fairtrade. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Nestlé scored 26/100 (9th of 45) in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark, down 10 points from 2023, with no remedy for supply chain workers disclosed. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Nestlé UK lodges a modern slavery statement (2026). View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nestlé's own child labour report (2019) identified 18,283 children doing hazardous work on farms supplying its cocoa in 2017/18, and its 2023 Cocoa Plan report still records child labour cases found each year. Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyRuns child labour monitoring and remediation; cases still found each year. |
| 2012 | A Fair Labor Association investigation of Nestlé's Côte d'Ivoire cocoa supply chain (2012) found child labour, widespread machete injuries and workers exceeding 60-hour weeks at harvest. Source · search the archiveFound by a scheme it belongs to, being fixed Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because an independent scheme it chose to join found it. | PartlyPublished an action plan with the Fair Labor Association in 2012. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- Six Malian men alleged they were trafficked as children to work on Ivorian cocoa farms and sued Nestlé USA and Cargill; in 2021 the US Supreme Court overturned the appeals ruling that let it go ahead, finding too little conduct in the US, and sent it back without ruling on the facts. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- FLA investigation of Nestlé's cocoa supply chain (2012) · search the archive · Child labour, machete injuries and excessive hours found in Côte d'Ivoire supply chain
- The Chocolate Scorecard (7th edition, 2026) · search the archive · Nestlé ranked 6th in the 7th edition, after 5th in the 6th edition
- Nestlé identifies over 18,000 child labourers in cocoa supply chain (Swissinfo) · search the archive · Nestlé's own report found 18,283 children in child labour in 2017/18
- Nestlé sees potential for Cailler sales abroad (blue News, 2026) · search the archive · Cailler made at Nestlé's Broc site and so far sold only in Switzerland (September 2026)
- Frigor Cailler hazelnut and almond cream bar (Bienmanger) · search the archive · Frigor bar filled with hazelnut and almond cream
Published by Cailler or its owner
- Discover Cailler (Cailler) · search the archive · All products Rainforest Alliance certified; cocoa via the Nestlé Cocoa Plan; milk from about 44 local IP-SUISSE farms near Broc
- Nestlé Cocoa Plan Progress Report 2024 · search the archive · 2024 origins: CI 47%, EC 15%, BR 14%, NG 7%, GH 5%, CM 5%, ID 4%, DO 2%; 88.9% via Cocoa Plan; CLMRS 123,953 households
Company details
- Owned by
- Nestlé S.A.
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Cailler ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cailler, 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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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Cailler.