Läderach
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-owned Swiss chocolatier known for fresh bark chocolate.
Läderach can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Ghana and Ecuador earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in countries such as Ecuador and India, 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
- 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 where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
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 Läderach'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
Läderach names some of the countries its cocoa comes from: Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Madagascar and Trinidad and Tobago. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Costa Rica | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Madagascar | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Systematic violations | Not rated | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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: 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes Läderach makes its own chocolate from the bean at its factory in Bilten, Switzerland. It names Costa Rica, Ecuador, Trinidad, Brazil, Ghana, Madagascar and India as its main cocoa origins, with no shares, and names a Trinidad cooperative and a Costa Rican farmer it buys from. Its chief executive says all its cocoa is Rainforest Alliance certified and that it pays over a third above market prices, but it publishes no supplier list, child labour monitoring results, living income data or modern slavery statement. No labour abuses linked to its suppliers have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Not among the companies invited to the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard, which covers companies buying over 1,000 tonnes of cocoa a year. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Läderach chocolate is not Fairtrade certified; the company says its cocoa is Rainforest Alliance certified instead. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 7th edition Chocolate Scorecard: who is participating · search the archive · Läderach not among companies invited to the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard
- Läderach makes Australian travel retail debut at Sydney Airport (Moodie Davitt Report) · search the archive · Läderach sold at Sydney Airport through Valiram
- Läderach profile (Four Magazine) · search the archive · Cocoa from Ghana and South America; CEO says all cocoa Rainforest Alliance certified, pays over a third above market; about 1,300 staff; family owned
- Läderach – the chocolatier that makes the whole world melt (Lionel Meylan, 2016) · search the archive · Bean-to-bar production at Bilten factory since 2012
Published by Läderach or its owner
- Läderach opens its first chocolaterie in Australia · search the archive · Own chocolaterie opened in Sydney in 2026; present in 30 countries on five continents
- Responsible sourcing (Läderach) · search the archive · Main cocoa origins Costa Rica, Ecuador, Trinidad, Brazil, Ghana, Madagascar and India; names Montserrat cooperative in Trinidad; no certification named
- Single origin chocolate (Läderach) · search the archive · Single-origin bars from Brazil, Trinidad, India and Madagascar
Company details
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Employees
- About 1,300
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Läderach ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/laderach, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Läderach.