Grinders Coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Melbourne coffee roaster selling beans, ground coffee and capsules.
Grinders Coffee can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Indonesia and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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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 unaudited production 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 rightsSome of its coffee is grown in countries such as Indonesia and India, 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
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 Grinders 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
Grinders Coffee names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Indonesia, India and Timor-Leste. 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 |
| 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 |
| Timor-Leste | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| ColombiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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
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.
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Grinders sources coffee from South and Central America, Africa, India, East Timor, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, but does not publish shares by country or a farm list. Some products carry Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or organic labels, but these cover only part of its range and no certified share is published. Parent CCEP publishes modern slavery statements that do not discuss coffee, and is not in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark; it scored 10/100 in the 2023 edition.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Parent Coca-Cola Europacific Partners lodges modern slavery statements on the Australian register; they do not cover coffee sourcing in detail. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Certified | Some Grinders coffee is Fairtrade certified, but only part of the range. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | CCEP lodges a group modern slavery statement for 2025 (approved May 2026); it does not mention coffee. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not listed | CCEP is not among the 45 companies in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark; it scored 10/100 in 2023. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Grinders (Shop Ethical / ethical.org.au) · search the archive · Owned by CCEP Australia; some Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and organic lines, only a fraction of sales; CCEP scored 10/100 on KnowTheChain 2023
- Grinders - Rainforest Alliance Find Certified · search the archive · Grinders coffee listed as a Rainforest Alliance certified product (2025)
- KnowTheChain 2026 food and beverage key findings · search the archive · Ranks 45 companies; Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, JDE Peet's and Keurig Dr Pepper are not included
- CCEP Modern Slavery Statement 2022 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Parent publishes a modern slavery statement; no coffee-specific sourcing details; no cases reported
- Grinders Coffee reveals new rebrand (BeanScene, 2024) · search the archive · Melbourne roaster founded on Lygon Street; product range including organic ground blend
- Grinders Coffee Roasters: Delivering quality and consistency in every cup (C-Store, 2021) · search the archive · Origins: South and Central America, Africa, India, East Timor, Indonesia, PNG; roasted in Melbourne
- Sixty years of Grinders Coffee (Time Out, 2022) · search the archive · Described as a large branded roaster of Fairtrade green beans; partners with Rainforest Alliance
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Grinders Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/grinders-coffee, 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 Grinders Coffee.