Hampstead Tea
VerifiedHampstead Tea is on the right track: Fairtrade certification covers farmer prices and working conditions, and it says it buys directly from producers at agreed prices. What's missing is publishing where its products are made.
Last researched 8 October 2026
Heading in the right direction. Workers are paid enough to live on, or the company is certified as working towards it, and there are no serious warning signs. One piece is still unproven. What this grade means
Good: 4 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 0 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 0
None found.
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Fairtrade certified: Minimum price and premium for farmers; audits for child and forced labour. Minimum price does not always reach a living income.
- Certified organic: Organic certification has no labour criteria beyond basics.
- Direct trade (self-reported)
Hampstead Tea is a small, independent UK tea company owned by its founder, Kiran Tawadey, selling Demeter biodynamic and organic teas from India. It says most of its tea comes from the Makaibari estate in Darjeeling, owned by the Luxmi group since 2014, with other organic estates in Darjeeling and Assam that it does not name. Its main teabag blends carry the Fairtrade mark, but it publishes no supplier list and nothing on what estate workers are paid, in a region where tea plantation wages are low and Indian tea is on the US government's forced labour list.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Tea from India is on the US Department of Labor list of goods produced with forced labour. View ↗ |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Found | Its main teabag blends and herbal teas are sold carrying the Fairtrade mark. View ↗ |
| OpenCorporates | Found | The Hampstead Tea & Coffee Co. Limited is an active UK company, more than 75% owned by founder Kiran Tawadey. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations name Hampstead Tea; reports cover unpaid wages at other Darjeeling organic estates in 2022. View ↗ |
Sources (11)
- Companies House: The Hampstead Tea & Coffee Co. Limited, persons with significant control · archived copy · Kiran Tawadey holds 75% or more of shares and voting rights
- Companies House: The Hampstead Tea & Coffee Co. Limited · archived copy · Active UK private company, tea processing; accounts overdue as of 2026
- great.gov.uk: The Hampstead Tea & Coffee Co. Limited · archived copy · 11-50 employees; describes itself as the UK's first biodynamic tea company
- Ethical Superstore: Hampstead Tea Organic English Breakfast · archived copy · Most of its tea comes from the Makaibari estate in Darjeeling; all teas Demeter certified; no information on worker pay
- Premcrest: Hampstead Organic Fairtrade English Breakfast Tea Bags · archived copy · Fairtrade black tea from Darjeeling and Assam, India; Demeter certified
- Ocado: Peppermint & Spearmint Tea Bags Organic Biodynamic Fairtrade Hampstead Tea · archived copy · Fairtrade, Demeter and EU/USDA organic certification on herbal range
- Natural Products: The First (tea) Lady · archived copy · Founder Kiran Tawadey; Makaibari key supplier but other organic estates also used; mix of Fairtrade and biodynamic accreditation
- Hampstead Tea website · archived copy · Claims to source 100% organic tea direct from estates for over 30 years
- Wikipedia: Makaibari Tea Estate · archived copy · Bought by the Luxmi Group in 2014; about 700 permanent workers; Fairtrade and organic certified; no casual labour
- US Department of Labor: List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · archived copy · Tea from India is listed for forced labour
- BHRRC: Tea workers across Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates protest over unpaid wages · archived copy · Darjeeling tea garden daily wage of Rs 232 and unpaid wages at ten organic estates in 2022 (estates not linked to Hampstead Tea)
Last researched 8 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.