Hachez
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Bremen chocolate brand known for Braune Blätter chocolate leaves.
We couldn't confirm where Hachez gets most of its cocoa.
Also worth knowing
Most cocoa is grown in countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, where workers are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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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, 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 (hazelnuts) 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 Hachez'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
We couldn't confirm where Hachez gets most of its cocoa, so this shows where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 45% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | 25% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Ecuador | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cameroon | 10% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
- Uses hazelnuts in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Hachez has been made at Toms Group's factory in Nowa Sól, Poland since 2020, after its Bremen factory closed. It says it uses fine cocoa from South America but names no countries; one retail listing cites Ecuador. Its bars carry the Rainforest Alliance mark and Toms says 98% of group cocoa was certified in 2025 (92% in 2024). Toms is an International Cocoa Initiative partner but publishes no child labour case numbers or farmer incomes. A few bars contain hazelnuts, origin not disclosed.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not listed | Toms Group was not among the companies invited to, or ranked in, the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Cocoa from Ghana, where Toms runs its cocoa programme, is on the US Department of Labor's child labour goods list. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | Hachez bars carry the Rainforest Alliance mark; Toms says 98% of its cocoa was Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade certified in 2025, short of its 100% target, without a split by scheme or brand. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Süßwaren-Importhaus Wilms new Hachez distribution partner (Lebensmittel Zeitung, 2023) · search the archive · Hachez belongs to Toms Group; distributed by Importhaus Wilms from 2024
- Toms moves Hachez production to Poland (Gama Consumer, 2018) · search the archive · Toms announced in 2018 that Hachez production would move from Bremen to Poland by 2020
- Hachez Bar Intensive Bitter 88% (Knuspr) · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa; fine cocoa from South America; palm oil free; sold through German grocers
- Toms Group Non-Financial Report 2024 · search the archive · 92% certified cocoa in 2024, 100% target for 2025; factories in Denmark and Poland; RSPO segregated palm oil
- Hachez Edel Vollmilch-Nuss (Stiftung Warentest) · search the archive · Hachez sells a milk chocolate bar with whole hazelnuts
- Toms (International Cocoa Initiative members) · search the archive · Toms is an ICI industry member
Published by Hachez or its owner
- Toms Group Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · 98% certified cocoa (RA or Fairtrade) in 2025; 900 staff; two factories in Denmark, one in Poland
Company details
- Owned by
- Toms Group A/S
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Hachez ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/hachez, last researched 3 November 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 Hachez.