illy
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-owned Trieste coffee roaster selling a single Arabica blend.
In 2021, inspectors rescued 20 workers from slave-like conditions on a Brazilian coffee farm illy bought from.
Also worth knowing
Illy has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2021.
Good requirements 0 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 Colombia and Honduras, 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
- Not 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 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its coffee is grown
illy names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Nicaragua, Honduras and Rwanda. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Costa Rica | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| El Salvador | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | High |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Nicaragua | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Rwanda | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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 |
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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes illy buys Arabica coffee from growers in Brazil, Central America (including Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador), Colombia, India, Ethiopia and Rwanda. It does not publish the share from each country or a list of farms. Its Responsibillyty protocol bans child and forced labour and requires minimum wages, checked by consultants illy hires: second-party checks, not independent certification, and with no living wage commitment. illy is a Certified B Corp, re-certified in 2026 under B Lab's new standards.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | illycaffè SpA has been a Certified B Corp since 2021 and was re-certified in 2026 under B Lab's new standards. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | illy responded in 2024 to the Conectas/SOMO report Bitter Brew, which covers its links to Cooxupé and Fazenda Floresta. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua for child labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | illy sources through its own Responsibillyty protocol, not Fairtrade. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Federal inspectors rescued 20 workers from slave-like conditions in 2021 at Fazenda Floresta in Minas Gerais, a farm illy confirms it bought from (Brasil de Fato 2021; illy response to Conectas/SOMO, 2024). Source · archived copy | Partlyilly says it learned of the case in 2021 and that Fazenda Floresta is no longer a supplier; no remedy for the workers has been reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- The 2024 Conectas and SOMO report Bitter Brew links illy to modern slavery risk through the Brazilian cooperative Cooxupé, which illy confirms it buys from (BHRRC, 2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- illycaffè SpA (B Corp directory) · search the archive · Certified B Corp since 2021; 100% Arabica blend sold in over 140 countries; grower training and premiums
- illycaffè response to the report Bitter Brew (BHRRC, 2024) · search the archive · illy buys from Cooxupé; says Fazenda Floresta is no longer a supplier after the 2021 accusation
- illycaffè announces the nine countries in its coffee award (Tea & Coffee, 2018) · search the archive · Supplying countries: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Nicaragua, Rwanda
- illycaffè secures B Corp recertification under new V2 standards (Food Business MEA, 2026) · search the archive · illycaffè re-certified as a B Corp in 2026 under B Lab's new V2 standards
- Illy produces quality through a sustainable supply chain (Sustainability Magazine, 2022) · search the archive · Projects with growers in Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia and Rwanda; rural schools in Cauca; premium prices
- Produtor premiado mantinha fazenda com trabalho escravo (Brasil de Fato, 2021) · archived copy · 20 workers rescued from slave-like conditions at Fazenda Floresta in 2021
Published by illy or its owner
- illy Responsibillyty Protocol (2025) · search the archive · Supplier protocol bans child and forced labour and requires minimum wages; second-party checks by verifiers illy hires
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is illy ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/illy, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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