Guittard Chocolate
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Family-owned San Francisco chocolate maker.
Guittard Chocolate can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana 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 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in countries such as Ecuador 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
- Not 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
| 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 Guittard Chocolate'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
Guittard Chocolate names some of the countries its cocoa comes from: Côte d'Ivoire, Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Peru, the Philippines and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income.
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes Guittard names cocoa origins in Ivory Coast (CI), Ghana, Ecuador, Vietnam, the Philippines, Peru and Colombia but gives no volumes, so shares are an even split. Its Cultivate Better programme funds flavour labs, farmer training and a living-income baseline study in Ghana, and it names a Fair Trade cooperative partner in Ivory Coast, but gives no overall certified or traced share. Its California supply chain disclosure (2022) relies on supplier self-certification and possible audits; it publishes no child labour monitoring, supplier list or wage data. It joined the RSPO in 2017. No Australian stockist or delivery to Australia was identified.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Guittard is not among the companies in the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard results or invited to the 2026 edition. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | Guittard names a Fair Trade cooperative partner (SCOSA CI, Sassandra, Ivory Coast) but does not say that its products or any share of its cocoa are certified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- 7th edition Chocolate Scorecard: who is participating · search the archive · Guittard not on the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard invite list
- Guittard Chocolate on ethics, education and artistry (ConfectioneryNews, 2019) · search the archive · Fair Trade blend; own programmes as alternative to certification; living-income baseline study in Ghana
- Guittard expands flavour work in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Indonesia (Snack & Bakery, 2019) · search the archive · Flavour labs and training with research institutes in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Indonesia
Published by Guittard Chocolate or its owner
- Sustainability (Guittard) · search the archive · Origins: Ivory Coast (SCOSA CI Fair Trade co-op), Ghana, Ecuador, Vietnam, Philippines, Peru, Colombia; RSPO member since 2017
- SB 657 Disclosure (Guittard, 2022) · search the archive · Suppliers self-certify; audits may be scheduled or unannounced; staff training on trafficking
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Guittard Chocolate ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/guittard-chocolate, 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 Guittard Chocolate.