Labour Lens

Merlo Coffee

Lacks transparency

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

Coffee

Partly verified: what this means

Based on what Merlo Coffee publishes, with few independent checks. Researched with AI assistance against published rules. Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources · How we check

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.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements, with 2 red flags.Open why it has this gradeClose why it has this grade
  • 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.

How grades are decided

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

Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and 10 more countries.Open where it's madeClose where it's made

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.

Where its coffee is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
BrazilSystematic violationsBelow a living wageModerate
VietnamUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
ColombiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
EthiopiaSystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Costa RicaSystematic violationsBelow a living wageLow
KenyaSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
NicaraguaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
HondurasUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PeruUsual for the industrySystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
UgandaUsual for the industrySystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
GuatemalaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
Papua New GuineaWe don't have labour ratings for this country yet.

Evidence

1 thing we found and what 1 independent source says.Open the evidenceClose the 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

SourceResultDetails
US Department of Labor goods listsOn the goods listCoffee 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

6 sources, company details, and how to send evidence or a right of reply.Open the sources and company detailsClose the sources and company details

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Rainforest Alliance certified product: Merlo · search the archive · Merlo coffee listed as a Rainforest Alliance certified product in Australia.
  2. US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

  1. 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

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