Meßmer
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
German tea brand of Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft selling tea bags.
Meßmer can't show that the people who grow its tea in India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded tea
Graded higher than Meßmer, selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Meßmer? Send a right of reply.
Compare Meßmer with another brand
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 rightsMost 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
- 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, mostly 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 Meßmer'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
From press and retailer reports; Meßmer doesn't say where its tea is grown. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| KenyaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri LankaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalawiUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual 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: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations).
Research notes Meßmer is one of Germany's main tea brands, packed in Seevetal by Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft. Its tea comes from 'all over the world' and no growing countries, estates or suppliers are published, though its owner OTG buys Assam tea from India. Its Klassik black tea is made entirely from Rainforest Alliance certified farms, about 70% of all its raw materials were certified in 2021, and 28 herbal and fruit teas moved to Fair for Life ingredients from late 2025, with a goal of only certified raw materials by 2030. It works with the Ethical Tea Partnership but gives no living wage evidence for estate workers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Oxfam Germany (2019) found that OTG publishes no supply chain information, buys Assam tea through intermediaries and says that tea is 100% Rainforest Alliance/UTZ certified. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- Oxfam Germany's 2019 report on Assam tea named Meßmer's owner OTG among German buyers of Assam tea, where a survey of 50 estates found pay of 137-170 rupees a day, below the legal minimum, and poor housing, water and sanitation; the report does not say the surveyed estates supplied OTG. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft (BHRRC company page) · BHRRC lists OTG among German tea importers responding to a study on working conditions on Indian tea plantations
- Meßmer stellt Tees auf zertifizierte Rohware um (Lebensmittel Praxis, 2025) · search the archive · 28 herbal and fruit teas switched to Fair for Life raw materials from Q4 2025; target of only certified raw materials by 2030; also uses Rainforest Alliance and organic
- Laurens Spethmann Holding: Auf lange Sicht (Lebensmittel Praxis, 2011) · search the archive · OTG, with the Milford and Meßmer brands, is part of Laurens Spethmann Holding; Meßmer based in Seevetal and sold in Germany
- Kritik an Arbeitsbedingungen auf indischen Teeplantagen (dpa via Nau.ch, 2019) · Oxfam survey of 510 Assam plantation workers found hunger and illness; Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft (Messmer) replied it is a small buyer with little influence
- Schwarzer Tee, weiße Weste? (Oxfam Germany, 2019) · search the archive · OTG (Meßmer, Milford) buys Assam tea via intermediaries, 100% Rainforest Alliance/UTZ per OTG, no published supply chain; survey of 50 Assam estates found wages below legal minimum
- Nachhaltiger Teepartner im Außer-Haus-Geschäft (Catering Management, 2021) · search the archive · About 70% of Meßmer raw materials from certified cultivation such as Rainforest Alliance; goal 100% by 2030; Ethical Tea Partnership partner; brand of OTG
- Meßmer Klassik 88g, 50 Beutel (REWE) · search the archive · 100% of the tea comes from Rainforest Alliance certified farms; contact address Seevetal, Germany
Company details
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Meßmer ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/messmer, last researched 23 October 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 Meßmer.