Merrild

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

Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources

Danish coffee brand owned by Lavazza, selling ground coffee, beans and pods.

Merrild's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2021, which it has only partly acted on, and workers in Vietnam and Colombia are very unlikely to earn a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 0 of 5 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2021) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
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 0 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 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
Not 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 3

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
Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Accreditations 1

Rainforest AllianceSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.

Where its coffee is grown

These are Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.'s coffee origins across all its brands; Merrild doesn't say where its own coffee is grown. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.

Where its coffee is grown, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
Brazil	Systematic violations	Below a living wage	Moderate
Vietnam	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
Colombia	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
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

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

Research notes Merrild has been owned by Lavazza since 2015 and is based in Fredericia, Denmark. It names no coffee origins beyond South and Central American highlands for one blend; Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia are countries its owner names in its human rights work, without shares. Merrild says every product carries the Rainforest Alliance seal. Lavazza says over 97% of its green coffee comes from suppliers assessed on EcoVadis and reports 17 social audits in 2025, but publishes no farm list or wage data.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry	Listed	Lavazza's UK modern slavery statement for the year to 31 December 2025 (dated June 2026) reports no cases; group level. View
News reporting and NGO investigations	Problem found	Repórter Brasil (2022) named Lavazza as a buyer from Cocatrel after slave labour was found on a member's farm in 2021. View

Confirmed issues 1

Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted

Last recorded	What happened	Made amends?
2021	Link through a supplierBrazilian labour inspectors found 24 workers in conditions analogous to slavery in July 2021 at a farm belonging to a member of Cocatrel, a cooperative that supplied coffee to Merrild's owner Lavazza (Repórter Brasil, 2022). Source · archived copy	PartlyLavazza said it was investigating and would exclude suppliers after negative findings, but customs records showed a later shipment from the cooperative.

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Multinational coffee companies ignore accusations and continue buying from suppliers linked to farms with slave labour (Repórter Brasil, 2022) · archived copy · 24 workers found in slave-like conditions at Laranjeiras Farm in July 2021; Lavazza a Cocatrel buyer; Lavazza said it was investigating
Lavazza (Ethical Consumer Australia) · Parent Lavazza rated F; Social Benchmark 15.3/100; Rainforest Alliance coffee only a fraction of sales
Lavazza modern slavery and human trafficking statement (UK) · search the archive · Names Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia in its green coffee human rights work; covers year to 31 Dec 2025; no cases reported

Published by Merrild or its owner

Merrild CSR · search the archive · Every Merrild product carries the Rainforest Alliance logo
Merrild historie · search the archive · Owned by Luigi Lavazza SpA since 1 October 2015; based in Fredericia; markets Denmark, Baltics, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland
Merrild kaffebønner · search the archive · Signature Blend beans described as 100% Arabica from South and Central American highlands; no countries named
Lavazza Group Sustainability Report 2025 abstract · search the archive · Over 97% of green coffee from suppliers assessed on EcoVadis; 17 ethical and social audits; Merrild part of group since 2015; 5,864 employees

Company details

Owned by: Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.
Headquarters: Denmark
Last researched: 23 October 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Merrild ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/merrild, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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