Not met: Meets 1 of 5 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, 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.

How grades are decided

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 rightsJudged on where coffee is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
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 1

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Accreditations 1

Rainforest AllianceSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.

Estimates for its products

Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Coles own brand 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

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Coles own brand coffee gets most of its coffee, so this shows where coffee is usually grown.

Where its coffee is grown, share by country, and conditions there
Country	Share	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
Brazil	35%	Systematic violations	Below a living wage	Moderate
Vietnam	20%	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Colombia	10%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Indonesia	7%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Ethiopia	7%	Systematic violations	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Honduras	6%	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Peru	5%	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Uganda	5%	Systematic violations	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Guatemala	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: 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
Modern slavery statement

Research notes Coles requires all coffee in its own-brand products to be independently certified or verified under Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance, and every supplier of its Urban Coffee Culture beans is Rainforest Alliance certified; Rainforest Alliance audits farms but sets no minimum price. Coles does not publish where its own-brand coffee is grown or who roasts it, and its FY25 modern slavery statement names coffee only as a general risk. Coles Group ranked 2nd of 45 in KnowTheChain's 2026 food and beverage benchmark but publishes no supplier list and no evidence that coffee farmers earn a living income.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Listed	Coles Group lodges annual modern slavery statements, most recently for FY25. View
KnowTheChain	Listed	Coles Group scored 55/100 and ranked 2nd of 45 in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Benchmark; no supplier list published. View
US Department of Labor goods lists	Unclear	Coffee from several growing countries is on the US DOL list for child or forced labour, but the origin of Coles own-brand coffee is not disclosed. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

Rainforest Alliance: Find certified, Coles · search the archive · Coles listed for Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, tea and chocolate products (updated May 2026).
KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage Scorecard: Coles · search the archive · Scored 55/100, ranked 2nd of 45; no first-tier supplier list; limited remedy for supply chain workers.
US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee is among the most common agricultural goods on the US DOL list.
Food & Beverage Industry News: Coles launches own brand compostable coffee pods · search the archive · Coles Urban Coffee Culture pods sold nationally; all bean suppliers Rainforest Alliance certified; origins not named.

Published by Coles own brand coffee or its owner

Coles Group 2025 Sustainability Report · search the archive · Own-brand coffee, tea and cocoa must be certified or verified to Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or Cocoa Horizons; maintained in FY25.
Coles Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · FY25 statement: coffee named among grocery products with forced labour risk; no coffee origins or suppliers given.

Company details

Owned by: Coles Group
Headquarters: Australia
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Coles own brand coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/coles-own-brand-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 Coles own brand coffee.

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01Why it's graded Lacks transparency