Merlo Coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Brisbane coffee roaster running its own cafés.
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 Merlo Coffee has no full independent audit.
Better-graded beans and roasters
Graded higher than Merlo Coffee, selling the same kinds of things.
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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 Colombia and Nicaragua, 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 Merlo Coffee'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
Merlo Coffee names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nicaragua. 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 |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Costa Rica | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nicaragua | No guarantee of rights | 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 |
| Papua New Guinea | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
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 Merlo buys green coffee through trader Bennetts from origins across the coffee belt, with Brazil a core part of many blends, and sells single origins from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua and Papua New Guinea, but names no origins for its blends, no farms and no shares. Its Brazilian single origin and decaf are Rainforest Alliance certified, but most of its range is not certified and no Fairtrade, direct trade or farmer pay commitments are published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil, a key origin in Merlo blends, is listed by the US Department of Labor for child and forced labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Rainforest Alliance certified product: Merlo · search the archive · Merlo coffee listed as a Rainforest Alliance certified product in Australia.
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour.
- Merlo Coffee's trip to origin (BeanScene, 2024) · search the archive · Brazilian coffees vital to many blends; sources across the growing belt; Bennetts named as green-bean partner.
- Merlo discusses its sustainability endeavours (BeanScene, 2022) · search the archive · Brazilian single origin and decaf blend are Rainforest Alliance certified; roasteries at Eagle Farm and Bowen Hills.
- Inside the coffee empire that Dean Merlo didn't expect to create (Business News Australia) · search the archive · Run by Dean Merlo and CEO James Wilkinson; own outlets; coffee served at over 2,000 cafes.
Published by Merlo Coffee or its owner
- Coffee beans (Merlo Coffee) · search the archive · Single origins from Brazil, PNG, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Kenya and Ethiopia; blends name no origins
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Merlo Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/merlo-coffee, 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 Merlo Coffee.