Labour Lens

Ispahani

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Tea

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 30 October 2026 · 4 sources

Bangladesh's biggest branded tea, blended and packed by the Ispahani Group.

Ispahani can't show that the people who grow its tea in Bangladesh earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.

Also worth knowing

It has no full independent audit.

Better-graded tea

Graded higher than Ispahani, selling the same kinds of things.

Trade AidTeaFair trade tea, coffee, chocolateHolds WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade and publishes its suppliers.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Open supply chain; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities5 starsDaintree TeaTeaAustralian-grown unblended black teaMakes its products in its own factories in Australia, where legal wages are close to a living wage.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain3 starsNumi Organic TeaTeaOrganic and fair trade teasHolds Fairtrade certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 stars

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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.

How grades are decided

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 rightsMost of its tea is grown in countries such as Bangladesh and India, 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, mostly 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 Ispahani'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 tea is grown

Ispahani names some of the countries its tea comes from: Bangladesh. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.

Where its tea is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
BangladeshNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
IndiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
KenyaUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Sri LankaUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
ChinaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
MalawiUsual for the industryStrong protectionsFar below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations).

Research notes Ispahani holds about half of Bangladesh's branded tea market and owns four gardens (Mirzapore, Ghazipore and Zareen in Moulvibazar, Neptune in Chittagong) producing about 4 million kg a year, far less than it sells, and it names no origin for the rest. It publishes nothing on wages or conditions for garden workers, whose industry daily wage was Tk 145 when they struck for Tk 300 in 2022.

Sources and actions

Sources 4

Show all 4 sources
  1. Bangladesh tea workers block highway demanding 300tk daily wages (BHRRC, 2022) · search the archive · August 2022: tea workers paid Tk 145 a day demanded Tk 300; strike across 23 gardens

Published by Ispahani or its owner

  1. Ispahani Tea - Our Gardens · search the archive · Four own gardens in Moulvibazar and Chittagong producing about 4 million kg a year, sold at Chittagong auction; no worker information
  2. Ispahani Tea - About Us · search the archive · Ispahani Group, largest tea trading company in Bangladesh, about 50% of branded tea market; group employs about 10,000
  3. Ispahani Tea - Tea Trade · search the archive · Exports to the USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, UK, New Zealand and Pakistan; Australia not listed

Company details

Headquarters
Bangladesh
Last researched
30 October 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Ispahani ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ispahani, last researched 30 October 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 Ispahani.

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