Coles own brand tea
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Coles' own-label black and herbal teas.
We couldn't confirm where Coles own brand tea gets most of its tea.
Also worth knowing
Most tea is grown in countries such as India and Kenya, where workers are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
Better-graded tea
Graded higher than Coles own brand tea, selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Coles own brand tea? Send a right of reply.
Compare Coles own brand tea with another brand
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 unaudited production, probably 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 rightsWhere tea is usually grown, such as India and China, 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: Probably made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
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 Coles own brand tea'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 tea is grown
We couldn't confirm where Coles own brand tea gets most of its tea, so this shows where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 30% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Kenya | 25% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka | 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 15% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi | 5% | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 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: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Coles sells black and herbal tea under its own labels. Its own-brand tea carries Rainforest Alliance certification, a scheme that audits farms but sets no minimum price, and the Rainforest Alliance lists Coles tea, coffee and chocolate as certified. Coles has not published where its own-brand tea is grown or who supplies it, and its FY25 modern slavery statement names tea 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 tea workers earn a living wage.
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 | Tea from India (forced labour) and Kenya (child labour) is on the US DOL list, but the origin of Coles own-brand tea is not disclosed. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- CHOICE: Coles Tea Cup Bags · search the archive · Coles Tea Cup Bags carry Rainforest Alliance certification (March 2024).
- Rainforest Alliance: Find certified, Coles · search the archive · Coles listed for Rainforest Alliance certified tea, coffee and chocolate products (updated May 2026).
- KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage Scorecard: Coles Group · 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 · Tea from India listed for forced labour; tea from Kenya listed for child labour.
Published by Coles own brand tea or its owner
- Coles Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · FY25 statement: tea named among grocery products with forced labour risk; no tea 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 tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/coles-own-brand-tea, 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 tea.