Labour Lens

Madura Tea Estates

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Tea

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

Family-owned company growing tea in the Tweed Valley, NSW.

Madura Tea Estates can't show that the people who grow its tea in India and Sri Lanka 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 2 of 5 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 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 tea is grown in India, China and Indonesia, 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
  • 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

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 Madura Tea Estates'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 tea is grown

Madura Tea Estates says its tea comes from Australia. Product labels show Sri Lanka and India. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.

Where its tea is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
IndiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
Sri LankaSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
AustraliaStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow
KenyaUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
ChinaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
MalawiUsual for the industryStrong protectionsFar below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

Evidence

What we found

  • Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). Source
  • Owns or runs its own production

Research notes Madura grows tea on its own estate in northern NSW and blends, packs and imports there with a local team of about 50 people. Most blends mix its Australian estate tea with imported tea from partner estates; its Premium Blend listing names Sri Lanka, India and Southeast Asia, and Madura says there is no fixed percentage in any blend, so origin shares are not given. The partner estates are not named and no prices, wages or labour standards for them are published. Some products are certified organic, but the range holds no Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification. It is sold widely in Australia, including at Woolworths.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)Not listedNo Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification is claimed on Madura's own pages or product listings. View
US Department of Labor goods listsUnclearTea from India is on the US Department of Labor forced labour list; India is one of the origins named for Madura's Premium Blend, but the partner estates and shares are not disclosed. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. Madura Tea Estates - Ethical Consumer Australia · search the archive · Grows, manufactures, imports, blends and packs on its Tweed Valley estate; some products ACO certified organic; rated B
  2. Madura Green Tea Bags - BuyWisely · search the archive · Blend of subtropical South Asian teas with Madura's own Australian estate tea when seasonally available
  3. Madura English Breakfast Leaf Tea - Woolworths · search the archive · Sold at Woolworths in Australia
  4. Woolworths: Madura Premium Blend Tea 200g · search the archive · Made in Australia from local and imported components; teas from Sri Lanka, India, Southeast Asia and Madura's own Australian estate

Published by Madura Tea Estates or its owner

  1. Blending Tea - Your Questions Answered - Madura Tea · search the archive · Estate tea is a key part of some blends; other blends use partner estates around the world; no fixed percentage in any blend
  2. Who owns Madura Tea Estates? - Madura Tea · search the archive · Owned by four local Australian families; founded 1978 by Michael and Norma Grant-Cook in Northern NSW
  3. Looking Beyond The Cup - Madura Tea · search the archive · Employs a locally sourced team of fifty people (2018); 100% Australian owned and operated

Company details

Headquarters
Australia
Employees
About 50
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Madura Tea Estates ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/madura-tea, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

Better-graded tea

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Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Madura Tea Estates.

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