Kapal Api
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 4 sources
Indonesian ground and instant coffee brand owned by Kapal Api Global.
Kapal Api can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Indonesia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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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 Indonesia and 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: 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 Kapal Api'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
Kapal Api names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Indonesia. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| BrazilUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ColombiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| HondurasUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | 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.
Research notes Kapal Api Global grows Arabica on its own estate in Toraja, Sulawesi (PT Sulotco Jaya Abadi), and its instant coffee uses robusta, but it names no origin for most of its beans and publishes no supplier, certification or farm labour information. No sustainability report, modern slavery statement or living income commitment was found.
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- In 2023 PT Agel Langgeng, a Kapal Api Global sister company, closed its Pasuruan candy plant and laid off 273 workers; the KSPI union said it offered only 0.5 times the severance set by regulation, and 150 went to mediation. Its lawyer said it paid what the law requires, and coffee maker Santos Jaya Abadi said it was not involved (Republika, 2023). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Kapal Api expands coffee business across Asia (SCMP presented content, 2016) · search the archive · 1,200-hectare plantation in Sulawesi; instant coffee from 100% robusta; brands Kapal Api, Good Day, ABC; founded as Santos Jaya Abadi
- Kapal Api Special Mix Coffee 480g (Asian Pantry) · search the archive · Australian online grocer listing at A$8.20; country of origin Indonesia
- Cek enam fakta viral Kopi Kapal Api PHK ratusan pekerja (Republika, 2023) · search the archive · Severance dispute over 273 layoffs at group subsidiary PT Agel Langgeng; Kapal Api coffee made by PT Santos Jaya Abadi
Published by Kapal Api or its owner
- PT. Kapal Api Global · search the archive · Group homepage; PT Sulotco Jaya Abadi produces Arabica Toraja coffee in Rantekarua, Toraja; products distributed to 68 countries; no sustainability page
Company details
- Headquarters
- Indonesia
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kapal Api ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kapal-api, last researched 30 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded beans and roasters
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Kapal Api.