Code Black Coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Melbourne specialty coffee roaster selling espresso blends.
Code Black Coffee can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Colombia and Ethiopia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded beans and roasters
Graded higher than Code Black Coffee, selling the same kinds of things.
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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 Code Black Coffee'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
Code Black Coffee names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and Kenya. 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 |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well 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 Code Black says it buys green coffee from partners locally and at origin and respects the people who grow it, but publishes no sourcing policy, prices paid, importer names or certifications. No shares are published, so shares are even. Single origins name lots from Colombia (Huila, Quindio) and Ethiopia (Guji, Sidama), with Kenyan and Brazilian coffees also listed; its blends do not name origins. A Guatemalan component is listed in one blend. No modern slavery statement is required at its size, and none is published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | No Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification is claimed on its products or website. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | Not a Certified B Corp; no certification is mentioned on its website. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | A small private roaster well below the A$100m revenue threshold, so it is not required to lodge a modern slavery statement. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil (child and forced labour), Colombia and Kenya (child labour), origins it sells, is on the US DOL list; Ethiopian coffee is not listed. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor - US DOL · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil (child and forced labour), Colombia and Kenya (child labour) is on the US DOL list.
- Code Black Coffee Roasters - The Way to Coffee · search the archive · Founded 2012 by Joseph Haddad; coffees listed from Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya (Kainamui AA) and Brazil (Caparao).
- Roasters of Brunswick - Brunswick Voice · search the archive · Code Black founded by Joseph Haddad in 2012 in Brunswick; no sourcing details given.
Published by Code Black Coffee or its owner
- The Code Black Coffee story · search the archive · Established 2012 in Brunswick; buys green coffee from partners locally and at origin; nine Melbourne locations; no certifications mentioned.
- Who we are - Code Black Coffee · search the archive · Says it respects the full chain of work behind each lot; no named farms, importers, prices or ethical commitments.
- Code Black Coffee - all products · search the archive · Single origins from Ethiopia (Ayla Bombe) and Colombia (El Diviso, La Serrania); blends name no origins; sold online from own site.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Code Black Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/code-black-coffee, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Code Black Coffee.