Michel Cluizel
On Track*. Says it buys directly and pays fairly, but hasn't published proof.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Family-owned French chocolate maker making bars and bonbons.
Michel Cluizel gets its cocoa from seven countries, including Brazil and Mexico, and there's no confirmed labour problem on its record.
* Self-reported. Michel Cluizel is a small, independent business that says it buys directly from named farms. That usually means better prices for farmers, but it hasn't published what it pays or any independent checks, and there's no way yet to confirm that pay reaches the farm workers who pick the crop. If a labour problem is confirmed, it drops to a poor grade. Why we allow this
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Michel Cluizel? Send a right of reply.
Compare Michel Cluizel with another brand
Why it's graded On Track
- Graded On Track on its own word, which the rules allow for a small business built around direct trade.
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in Colombia and Guatemala, 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
- Not met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 1
- 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 Michel Cluizel'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 cocoa is grown
Michel Cluizel says which countries its cocoa comes from, but doesn't name the farms or co-operatives.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Madagascar | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- Built around direct trade with named farms or producers
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
- Uses hazelnuts in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Built around direct trade with named farms, and graded on its own word. Any confirmed labour problem would move it to a poor grade.
Research notes Cluizel says it has bought beans directly from partner plantations since the late 1990s, with no traders in between, naming estates such as Mokaya, Los Ancones, Vila Gracinda, Mangaro, Riachuelo, El Jardín and La Laguna; three are sold as organic. It names growers in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, São Tomé and Madagascar, but gives no volumes, prices or audits. It promises growers a consistent price and decent working conditions, without figures, and makes no statement on child labour. Hazelnuts appear in some pralinés.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Michel Cluizel is too small to be invited to the 7th edition (2026) of the Chocolate Scorecard and has no published score. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Michel Cluizel's chocolate is not Fairtrade certified; it relies on its own direct relationships with named plantations instead of third-party labels. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Manufacture Cluizel company profile (Xerfi) · search the archive · 164 staff; revenue about €22.9m in 2024; run by the Cluizel family; based in Mesnils-sur-Iton (Damville)
- Chocolats de Plantation assorted box (Selfridges) · search the archive · Plantation chocolates made in France from cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter; no palm oil
- Michel Cluizel at Selfridges (Australia site) · search the archive · 21 Michel Cluizel products listed for Australian shoppers online; no Australian shops found
Published by Michel Cluizel or its owner
- Cocoa Growers - Chocolat Michel Cluizel · search the archive · Direct relations with growers in Brazil, Santo Domingo, Mexico, São Tomé, Madagascar, Colombia and Guatemala; no intermediaries; consistent price
- Cacaofèvier - Cluizel · search the archive · Exclusive direct partnerships with growers since the late 1990s; seven named plantations, Mokaya, Los Ancones and Vila Gracinda sold as organic
- Croquants N°28 chocolate box - Cluizel · search the archive · Materials: hazelnuts in some boxes (Italian hazelnuts in one assortment), no palm oil in ingredients
Company details
- Headquarters
- France
- Employees
- About 164
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Michel Cluizel ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/michel-cluizel, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded chocolate
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Michel Cluizel.