Genovese Coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Family-owned Melbourne coffee roaster.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage, and Genovese Coffee has no full independent audit.
Better-graded beans and roasters
Graded higher than Genovese Coffee, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- 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 Indonesia and Colombia, 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 Genovese 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
Genovese Coffee names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Ethiopia and Indonesia. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ColombiaUsual 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 |
| Papua New Guinea | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
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 Genovese says it buys through direct, long-term relationships with partners in 15 to 16 origins and pays prices and premiums above market rates, but it does not publish prices, volumes or a farm list; it names Brazil, Ethiopia, Sumatra (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea among its origins. Its Orangutan Coffee Project in Sumatra splits a premium between smallholder farmers and orangutan conservation. No labour certification covers most of its coffee.
What independent sources say
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour
- Genovese Coffee embraces sustainability (BeanScene) · search the archive · Direct, long-term relationships in 15-16 origins; above-market prices; Orangutan Coffee Project in Sumatra; CriaCarmo project in Brazil
- Genovese Coffee turns 50 (BeanScene) · search the archive · Founded 1970 in Melbourne; family owned; roastery in Coburg
- Genovese Coffee House, Alexandria (Broadsheet) · search the archive · Genovese cafe with on-site roasting in Alexandria, Sydney, its own physical venue
Published by Genovese Coffee or its owner
- Genovese Coffee: Coffee for Wildlife · search the archive · Coffees from Ethiopia, Sumatra and Papua New Guinea linked to conservation projects
- Genovese Coffee home page · search the archive · Online shop; Super Brazil coffee; one Fair Trade Organic blend; Zoos Victoria supplier
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Genovese Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/genovese-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 Genovese Coffee.