Löfbergs
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Family-owned Swedish coffee roaster.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage, and Löfbergs has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Löfbergs? Send a right of reply.
Compare Löfbergs with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 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 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 Honduras 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: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| Star | Awarded 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 Löfbergs'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
Löfbergs names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Honduras and Peru. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ColombiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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 |
| 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- Direct trade (self-reported)
Research notes Löfbergs says all its coffee is certified (Fairtrade, organic or Rainforest Alliance) and fully traceable, but gives no share for each label, so no single certification can be confirmed for most of the range. Fairtrade purchases paid farmers about SEK 42 million in extra premiums in 2025. It names Brazil, Honduras and Peru in current projects and products but publishes no origin list or shares, and no split between them. Its modern slavery statement reports no cases and it has no living income commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Löfbergs publishes a Modern Slavery Act transparency statement (2024). View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Certified | Löfbergs is one of the largest buyers of Fairtrade and organic coffee and also buys Rainforest Alliance coffee; no share is given for each label. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Honduras for child labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Löfbergs hails sustainability gains (World Coffee Portal, May 2026) · search the archive · Roasted 26,421 tonnes of coffee in 2025; higher Fairtrade premiums.
- Löfbergs becomes Europe's first large roaster with ROC certified coffee (Löfbergs, October 2026) · search the archive · Organic, Fairtrade and ROC coffee from the Cafico cooperative in Honduras; project with a cooperative in Peru.
- Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Ground Coffee 250g (McGrocer) · search the archive · Brazilian Rainforest Alliance coffee sold by a UK online shop that ships to Australia.
Published by Löfbergs or its owner
- Sustainability (Löfbergs UK) · search the archive · Range 100% certified sustainably sourced; buys directly from growers; projects have supported over 105,000 smallholders.
- Löfbergs presents new sustainability report (Löfbergs, May 2026) · search the archive · SEK 42 million extra Fairtrade premiums in 2025; 100% traceable; roasteries in Karlstad; more than 300 employees.
- Löfbergs sustainability report 2025 · search the archive · Family-owned Karlstad roaster founded 1906; owns Kobbs and Peter Larsen Kaffe.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Employees
- About 300
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Löfbergs ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/lofbergs, last researched 3 November 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 Löfbergs.