Industry Beans
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Melbourne specialty coffee roaster.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage, and Industry Beans has no full independent audit.
Better-graded beans and roasters
Graded higher than Industry Beans, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 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 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
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
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 Industry Beans'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 coffee is grown
Industry Beans names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Panama, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil. 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 |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well 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 |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Panama | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| El Salvador | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | High |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | 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 |
| GuatemalaUsual 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: 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. Source
Research notes Industry Beans says it is committed to transparent and ethical sourcing but does not describe how it buys coffee, what it pays growers or which importers it uses, and holds no Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or B Corp certification. Its rotating single-origin coffees have come from Panama, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil, with a few named producers, while blend origins are not given. Colombia, Honduras and Kenya are on the US list of goods made with child labour for coffee. Origin shares are not disclosed.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Not listed | Industry Beans is not a Certified B Corp. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Its coffees carry no Fairtrade certification. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Colombia, Honduras and Kenya, origins of its single-origin coffees, is listed for child labour; the brand itself is not named. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | No modern slavery statement is lodged; the business is likely below the A$100 million revenue reporting threshold. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US Department of Labor) · search the archive · Coffee from Colombia, Honduras and Kenya listed for child labour
- Industry Beans (Sustainability Tracker) · search the archive · Ethical sourcing claims are self-reported, with no certification or B Corp status shown
Published by Industry Beans or its owner
- Our story (Industry Beans) · search the archive · Founded by Trevor and Steve Simmons in Fitzroy in 2013; cafés in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane; sources from Central America, Africa and Asia
- Sustainability (Industry Beans) · search the archive · Commitment to transparent and ethical sourcing with no detail on producers, prices or certification
- Industry Beans coffee range (industrybeans.com) · search the archive · Single origins from Panama, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil; producers named for a few lots
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Industry Beans ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/industry-beans, 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 Industry Beans.