Koko Black
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Melbourne chocolatier making handmade chocolates.
There's no proof workers earn a living wage.
Better-graded chocolate
Graded higher than Koko Black, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where cocoa is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ecuador, Cameroon and Nigeria.
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listRuns its own factories
- Not met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts and palm oil) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
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 Koko Black'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 cocoa is grown
Koko Black runs its own factories, but we haven't yet recorded where its cocoa is grown. Until we do, this shows where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 45% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ghana | 25% | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Ecuador | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Cameroon | 10% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nigeria | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income.
- Owns or runs its own production
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
- Uses hazelnuts and palm oil in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Koko Black makes its chocolates by hand at its own Coburg North, Melbourne facility from bought-in couverture, and in 2025 bought Chocolatier Australia's Heidelberg West factory. It says it supports 100% sustainably sourced cocoa through the Cocoa Horizons programme, which covers farmer incomes, child protection and deforestation, but it does not name its couverture supplier or cocoa-growing countries. It is not on the Cocoa Horizons brand partner list and publishes no child labour monitoring results. Hazelnut pralines and gianduja feature in some lines, and some products may contain palm oil; no origins are given for either.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | No Fairtrade certification found for Koko Black chocolate. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No modern slavery statement for Koko Black Australia Pty Ltd was found on the Australian register. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations involving Koko Black were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au): Koko Black · search the archive · Not on Cocoa Horizons brand partner list; share of cocoa covered not stated; some products may contain palm oil (BOS Australia, 2020).
- The CEO Magazine: Koko Black · search the archive · Products made by hand at its Coburg, Victoria facility; owned by Grill'd founder Simon Crowe.
- Baking Business: Koko Black acquires Chocolatier Australia (2025) · search the archive · Koko Black bought Chocolatier Australia and its Heidelberg West facility in April 2025; production continues at Coburg North.
Published by Koko Black or its owner
- Koko Black: Sustainability · search the archive · Partner of Cocoa Horizons, supporting 100% sustainably sourced cocoa; no supplier or cocoa origins named.
- Koko Black: Guide to shopping sustainably this Easter · search the archive · Says it is certified by Cocoa Horizons; no share, origins, hazelnut or palm oil details given.
- Koko Black product catalogue · search the archive · Heroic Praline Collection lists hazelnut praline and gianduja; many other lines list hazelnut only as a may-contain allergen.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Koko Black ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/koko-black, 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 Koko Black.