Juan Valdez Café
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Colombian coffee shop chain and packaged-coffee brand.
Juan Valdez Café can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Colombia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded café chains
Graded higher than Juan Valdez Café, selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Juan Valdez Café? Send a right of reply.
Compare Juan Valdez Café with another brand
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 unaudited production 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 rightsMost of its coffee is grown in Colombia, 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: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Gives workers a real voice | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Juan Valdez Café'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
Juan Valdez Café says which countries its coffee comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 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.
- Worker or farmer owned
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes All Juan Valdez coffee is grown in Colombia, bought across more than 16 coffee departments, mostly from smallholders. In 2023, 62% was bought through schemes paying a higher price, but only 11.8% in 2025, below its own 15% target. Some lines are Rainforest Alliance or organic; most are not. It publishes no farm list, wage data or child labour monitoring results. Procafecol said in 2021 it had begun shipping to Australia, but no current Australian stockist or delivery was found.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Procafecol was recertified as a B Corp in 2025, with its score rising from 86.5 to 108.5. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Colombia is on the US list of goods produced with child labour. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Procafecol lists Rainforest Alliance and organic seals for some coffee but not Fairtrade. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | Procafecol has no Australian operations, so it does not report under the Australian Modern Slavery Act. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Colombia listed for child labour.
- Procafecol presentó informe de sostenibilidad 2023 (La República, 2024) · search the archive · Main shareholders FNC, Fundación Manuel Mejía and Almacafé; 18,251 minority shareholders, mostly growers; 62% bought at a higher price in 2023.
- Juan Valdez outlines international sales strategy (StoneX) · search the archive · Procafecol said it had begun shipping coffee bags to Australia and New Zealand; owned by the coffee growers' federation.
Published by Juan Valdez Café or its owner
- Procafecol Informe de Sostenibilidad 2025 · search the archive · 100% Colombian coffee from 16+ departments; B Corp recertified at 108.5; Rainforest Alliance and organic seals; 11.8% from impact programmes in 2025.
- Juan Valdez New Zealand: Our story · search the archive · Oceania distributor is based in New Zealand and delivers nationwide there; no Australian stockists named.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Colombia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Juan Valdez Café ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/juan-valdez-cafe, 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 Juan Valdez Café.