Labour Lens

Kalita

On Track

On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.

Homewares, furniture & appliances

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 4 sources

Family-run Japanese maker of Wave pour-over coffee drippers.

Kalita makes its pour-over coffee equipment in Japan, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are close to a living wage.

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Why it's graded On Track

How grades are decided

Good requirements 5 of 7

  • Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Japan are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
  • Met: Respects worker rights
  • Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
  • Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics
  • 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
  • Met: High-risk raw materials (timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: timber

Red flags 0

None found.

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

Kalita says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
JapanStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • Uses timber in only a few products, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good. It doesn't show where its timber comes from. The "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
  • "Made in Japan" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, materials and parts such as fabric, timber, glass, metal and ceramics can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good. Source

Research notes Kalita names Japanese workshops for its 'Made in Japan' range: Tsubame metal drippers pressed at Tanabe Metal Fittings in Niigata, Hasami porcelain made with Hama Pottery in Nagasaki, and paulownia mills from Kamo. Australian retailers also list its Wave drippers as made in Japan. It does not say where its electric grinders, kettles and other appliances are made, and it publishes no supplier code of conduct, factory list or social audit results. No labour abuses have been reported at its suppliers.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterNot coveredKalita has no Australian entity and is far below the A$100 million revenue threshold for a modern slavery statement. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreNot listedNo company profile or labour rights stories about Kalita. View

Sources and actions

Sources 4

Show all 4 sources
  1. Kalita x URBAN RESEARCH DOORS (Kalita press release via PR TIMES, 2015) · search the archive · Kalita says it has long kept to Made in Japan manufacturing; Wave Dripper and Drip Pot Slim certified Made in TSUBAME (Niigata)
  2. Kalita's 'Made in Japan' series (Japanese Coffee Co.) · search the archive · Tsubame drippers made at Tanabe Metal Fittings, Niigata; Hasami ceramics with Hama Pottery; Kiri wooden mills from Kamo; Oak Village wood from Gifu
  3. Kalita Co., Ltd. company profile (Compalyze) · search the archive · Yokohama-based maker and importer of coffee equipment; 48 insured employees in September 2026; ISO 9001 since 2002
  4. Kalita Stainless Wave Dripper 155 (Coffee Parts) · search the archive · Australian online retailer selling Kalita drippers, listed as made in Japan, shipping Australia-wide

Company details

Headquarters
Japan
Employees
About 48
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Kalita ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kalita, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means

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