Dallmayr
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-owned Munich company best known for its coffee.
Dallmayr publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Workers in Ethiopia are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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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 supply chain. 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 rightsJudged on where its coffee is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ethiopia, Brazil and Vietnam.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn unconfirmed report of 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
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
| 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 Dallmayr'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
Dallmayr names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Ethiopia. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| BrazilUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 |
| 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.
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Dallmayr buys coffee from more than 20 countries and names only Ethiopia, where it funds a school, wells and a smallholder project with Menschen für Menschen; it publishes no origin shares or supplier list. Some lines are Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade or organic certified, but no share of certified coffee is given. It runs a due diligence process and complaints channel under Germany's supply chain law but discloses no audit results, cases found or living income work.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Lists the October 2025 German supply chain law complaint against Nestlé, Dallmayr and Starbucks over alleged exploitation on coffee farms, with company comments. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Uganda, Brazil and several other origins is on the US list of goods made with child labour; Dallmayr does not say how much it buys from each. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | Has no Australian subsidiary; it reports under Germany's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) since 2024. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Baptist World Aid does not rate coffee companies in its Ethical Fashion or Electronics reports. View |
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.
- In October 2025 Coffee Watch and other groups filed a complaint with Germany's supply chain regulator BAFA, saying Dallmayr buys Ugandan coffee via Neumann Kaffee Gruppe from the Kaweri plantation, where 28 workers described child labour, harassment and wages under two euros a day; companies named deny systematic abuses. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Rainforest Alliance: Dallmayr certified products · search the archive · Some Dallmayr coffee and cocoa products Rainforest Alliance certified
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Uganda, Brazil and other origins listed for child labour
- Kaffee: Dallmayr will eigenständig bleiben (Lebensmittel Zeitung, April 2026) · search the archive · Dallmayr rejected takeover talk in April 2026 and plans to stay independent and invest in its German roasting sites
- Lieferkettengesetz: Anzeigen gegen Nestlé, Dallmayr und Starbucks (ZDFheute, 2025) · search the archive · BAFA complaint links Dallmayr to Kaweri plantation in Uganda via NKG
- Dallmayr Prodomo ground coffee (Amazon.com.au) · search the archive · Sold online to Australian buyers via Amazon Australia
Published by Dallmayr or its owner
- Dallmayr: Sustainable supply chains · search the archive · Sources from 20+ countries; one of the largest importers of washed Ethiopian arabica; LkSG due diligence and complaints procedure; no certified share
- Dallmayr sustainability brochure Austria (2023) · search the archive · Ethiopia school, wells and Dano smallholder project; some products Fairtrade/organic
Company details
- Owned by
- Alois Dallmayr KG (family-owned)
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Dallmayr ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/dallmayr, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded beans and roasters
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Dallmayr.