Garoto
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 8 sources
Brazilian chocolate maker owned by Nestlé, known for boxed bonbons.
Garoto can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 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: the most serious problem on its record (child labour link, last recorded in 2024) was found by its own checks and is being fixed.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. Garoto looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found child labour in 2024 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its cocoa is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ecuador, Brazil and Nigeria.
- 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 it isn't fixingIts own checks found child labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade. An unconfirmed report of forced and 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
- Met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
| 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 Garoto'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 cocoa is grown
Côte d'Ivoire has the largest share, 48%. Ecuador is next, at 15%.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 48% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador | 15% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | 14% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | 5% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Cameroon | 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | 2% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for chocolate: finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring).
- Reports child labour cases found and fixed
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Garoto makes its chocolate at its Vila Velha factory in Espírito Santo, Brazil. Its 2026 bonbon box names three of about 300 Espírito Santo cocoa farms in Nestlé's Cocoa Plan, but Garoto gives no origin split; shares are Nestlé-wide for 2024, which also include Venezuela, Peru and Mexico under 1% each. 88.9% of Nestlé's cocoa came through its Cocoa Plan in 2024, which Rainforest Alliance certifies on a mass balance basis. No evidence shows cocoa farmers earn a living income.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Parent Nestlé is listed 6th in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard ranking. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Parent Nestlé scored 26/100 and ranked 9th of 45 in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Benchmark. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Nestlé UK filed a 2026 modern slavery statement on the UK register (group level). View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Link through a supplierNestlé's 2024 Cocoa Plan report says its child labour monitoring system supported 96,580 children in 2024 and that 26,857 children have reported no longer doing potentially hazardous work since 2012 (Nestlé, 2025). Source · archived copyFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | PartlyNestlé runs child labour monitoring and remediation and an income programme in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana; cases are still found. |
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.
- A 2021 opinion piece in Brasil de Fato by journalist Marques Casara said his research with Brazil's labour prosecutors linked Garoto, with Nestlé and other cocoa firms, to slave and child labour in Brazilian cocoa production. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 8
Show all 8 sources
- The Chocolate Scorecard (7th edition, 2026) · search the archive · Nestlé listed 6th in the 7th edition ranking
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Scorecard: Nestlé · search the archive · Nestlé 26/100, rank 9 of 45; six forced labour allegations in its supply chains; no remedy outcomes disclosed
- Garoto leva produtores de cacau para sua icônica caixa de bombom (Nosso Meio, 2026) · search the archive · About 300 Cocoa Plan producers in Espírito Santo supply Garoto's Vila Velha factory; three farms named on 2026 packs
- Garoto celebra quase um século de memórias (Folha Vitória) · search the archive · Nestlé Cocoa Plan has operated in Brazil for more than 10 years; products made at Vila Velha
- Nestlé e Mondelez processadas por escravidão de crianças na cadeia do cacau (Brasil de Fato, 2021) · search the archive · Opinion piece naming Garoto among six firms the author linked to slave and child labour in Brazilian cocoa
Published by Garoto or its owner
- Nestlé Cocoa Plan Progress Report 2024 · archived copy · 2024 cocoa sourcing by country (CI 47%, EC 15%, BR 14%, NG 7%, GH 5%, CM 5%, ID 4%, DO 2%); 88.9% via Cocoa Plan; 96,580 children supported via CLMRS
- A Garoto · search the archive · Factory in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo; sold in more than 50 countries; Australia not named
- Nestlé UK Modern Slavery Statement 2026 · search the archive · Nestlé UK group modern slavery statement
Company details
- Owned by
- Nestlé
- Headquarters
- Brazil
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Garoto ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/garoto, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded chocolate
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Garoto.