Labour Lens

Julius Meinl

Lacks transparency

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

Coffee

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

Family-owned Viennese coffee roaster selling beans and capsules.

Julius Meinl publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list, and we couldn't confirm where it gets most of its coffee.

Also worth knowing

Most coffee is grown in countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.

Better-graded beans and roasters

Graded higher than Julius Meinl, selling the same kinds of things.

CafédirectCoffeeFairtrade coffee and teaHolds Fairtrade certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Gives workers a real voice; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsCounter Culture CoffeeCoffeeSpecialty coffee roasterBuys directly from farmers and publishes the prices it pays.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Open supply chain; Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities4 starsKicking Horse CoffeeCoffeeOrganic Fairtrade roasted coffeeHolds 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 supply chain. 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 rightsJudged on where coffee is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
  • 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: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
Stars it would earn as Good:
StarAwarded for
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 Julius Meinl'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

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Julius Meinl gets most of its coffee, so this shows where coffee is usually grown.

Where its coffee is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
BrazilSystematic violationsBelow a living wageModerate
VietnamSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
ColombiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
EthiopiaSystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
HondurasNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PeruSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
UgandaSystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
GuatemalaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

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.
  • Invests in worker and farming communities

Research notes Julius Meinl says all coffee roasted in Vienna and Vicenza was 'Responsibly Selected' by the end of 2025, meaning it met the Global Coffee Platform's baseline code through schemes such as Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance or farm checks by Enveritas; it aims for all branded coffee by 2028. It says it buys green coffee from 16 origin countries but names none and gives no shares or suppliers; its farmer programme works in Colombia, India, Honduras and Uganda. Only a few blends are Fairtrade. Its supplier code bans child and forced labour but sets no living wage.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)Not listedOnly the Fairtrade and organic 'The Originals' blends are Fairtrade certified, not the main range. View
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNot listedNo Julius Meinl entity appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View
US Department of Labor goods listsListedCoffee from Colombia and Honduras, where Julius Meinl runs farmer projects, is listed for child labour. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (coffee) · search the archive · Coffee from Colombia and Honduras listed for child labour
  2. Julius Meinl Australia online shop (Coffee 1862) · search the archive · Australian online shop based in North Geelong selling Julius Meinl coffee in Australian dollars

Published by Julius Meinl or its owner

  1. Julius Meinl reaches 100% Responsibly Selected Coffee (2026) · search the archive · 100% Responsibly Selected coffee for Vienna and Vicenza roasting by end of 2025, via GCP code and Enveritas; all branded coffee by 2028
  2. Julius Meinl sustainability · search the archive · Generations Programme in Colombia, India, Honduras and Uganda; Fairtrade and organic only for The Originals blends
  3. Julius Meinl certifications, memberships and partnerships · search the archive · Member of Global Coffee Platform and UN Global Compact; works with Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Enveritas
  4. Julius Meinl Supplier Code of Conduct (2025) · search the archive · Bans child and forced labour; wages at least legal minimum or industry standard; audit rights and grievance mechanism
  5. Julius Meinl Sustainability Report 2025 (June 2026) · search the archive · Green coffee comes from 16 origin countries, none named; no origin shares, supplier list or living income figures

Company details

Headquarters
Austria
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Julius Meinl ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/julius-meinl, 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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