Five Senses Coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Based on what Five Senses Coffee publishes, with few independent checks. Researched with AI assistance against published rules. Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources · How we check
Perth-founded specialty coffee roaster.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Colombia and Indonesia is well below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements, with 2 red flags.Open why it has this gradeClose why it has this grade
- 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.
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: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| 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 Five Senses 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
Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam and 8 more countries.Open where it's madeClose where it's made
Five Senses Coffee names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Colombia, Indonesia and India. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrazilUsual for the industry | 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 |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far 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 |
| Papua New Guinea | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
Evidence
3 things we found and what 4 independent sources say.Open the evidenceClose the 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)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Five Senses says it buys through long-term relationships with named producers: the Tiga Raja mill in North Sumatra, Indonesia, which it bought in 2013, gave part-ownership to a local farming co-operative and reopened in 2024; Sangameshwar estate in India; Leonid Ramirez in Colombia; and the exporter Raw Material. Its history page says this began in Papua New Guinea. It publishes no prices, volumes or country shares. It became a Certified B Corp in 2023. No labour abuses linked to its supply chain have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Five Senses Coffee Pty Ltd was certified as a B Corp in April 2023 with a score of 101.7 (Workers 27.6, Community 27.4). View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not assessed | Five Senses is below the A$100 million revenue threshold for Australian modern slavery reporting and has not lodged a statement. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not certified | Five Senses does not sell Fairtrade certified coffee as standard; it buys through its own relationships at origin, including a mill it built in Sumatra. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | On the goods list | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and from several other origins for child labour. View |
Sources and actions
7 sources, company details, and how to send evidence or a right of reply.Open the sources and company detailsClose the sources and company details
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Five Senses Coffee Pty Ltd (B Lab directory) · search the archive · Certified April 2023, overall score 101.7; Workers 27.6, Community 27.4.
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour.
- Five Senses explains how it became B Corp certified (BeanScene, 2023) · search the archive · Score 101.7; sets own parchment prices independent of world market; owner Dean Gallagher; PNG and Sumatra.
- Five Senses reopens processing mill in North Sumatra (BeanScene) · search the archive · Mill reopened February 2024; 30% of project given to local cooperative; agronomy consultants for farmers.
Published by Five Senses Coffee or its owner
- Five Senses: Positive Impact · search the archive · B Corp since 2023; Tiga Raja mill bought 2013 with equity given to a farming cooperative; IPP community projects.
- Five Senses: The Journey · search the archive · Founded in Perth in 2000; direct trade relationships with producer families, starting in Papua New Guinea; Tiga Raja mill 2014.
- Five Senses: Our Coffee Relationships · search the archive · Named partners: Tiga Raja (Sumatra), Sangameshwar estate (India), Leonid Ramirez (Colombia), Raw Material; no prices or shares
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Five Senses Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/five-senses-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 Five Senses Coffee.
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