Hunted+Gathered
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Independent Melbourne bean-to-bar chocolate maker.
Hunted+Gathered can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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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
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 Hunted+Gathered'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
Hunted+Gathered says which countries its cocoa comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Tanzania | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Low |
| Solomon Islands | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
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.
- 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 Hunted+Gathered makes its chocolate in Melbourne from named cacao sources: Zorzal Cacao in the Dominican Republic for all bars except two, with no volume split given, Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania and Makira Gold in the Solomon Islands. It is ACO certified organic but publishes no prices paid, no labour policy and no child labour monitoring; a Fair for Life claim in its site metadata is not backed by a published certificate. Hazelnuts are used in a few lines, with no origin given.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | Cocoa from the Dominican Republic, Tanzania and the Solomon Islands, its named origins, is not on the US Department of Labor list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | The company does not describe its chocolate as Fairtrade certified; a Fair for Life claim appears only in its website metadata, with no certificate or scope published. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | No modern slavery statement found; the business is well below the A$100m reporting threshold. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations involving Hunted+Gathered were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- US DOL - List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (cocoa) · search the archive · Cocoa from the Dominican Republic, Tanzania and the Solomon Islands is not listed.
- Broadsheet: Hunted & Gathered (updated February 2026) · search the archive · Cremorne cafe permanently closed; the chocolate-making business still operates.
- Broadsheet: Melbourne's best Easter eggs 2026 · search the archive · 2026 Easter range made by hand in small batches at its Cremorne factory with certified organic ingredients.
Published by Hunted+Gathered or its owner
- Hunted+Gathered - Cacao Sourcing · search the archive · Zorzal (Dominican Republic) supplies all bars except Coconut and Tanzania; Kokoa Kamili and Makira Gold also named; no prices or labour monitoring.
- Hunted+Gathered - About · search the archive · Founded 2012 by Charlie and Harry Nissen; made at its Cremorne factory; ACO Certified Organic.
- Hunted+Gathered - Hazelnut bar · search the archive · Ingredients include organic hazelnuts; no hazelnut origin stated; cacao from Zorzal in Duarte province.
- Hunted+Gathered - All products (page 2) · search the archive · Hazelnuts appear in a few of about 68 products (Hazelnut bar, gianduja slab, hazelnut brittle); most are plain origin bars.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Hunted+Gathered ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/hunted-and-gathered, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Hunted+Gathered.