Montezuma's
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
British chocolate maker selling bars and truffles.
Montezuma's publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Workers in the Dominican Republic and Peru are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
Better-graded chocolate
Graded higher than Montezuma's, selling the same kinds of things.
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Compare Montezuma's with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden supply chain. 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 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its cocoa is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Peru, Ecuador and Cameroon.
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
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 Montezuma'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
Montezuma's names some of the countries its cocoa comes from: the Dominican Republic and Peru. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | 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: 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.
- 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.
Research notes Montezuma's buys organic cocoa from a cooperative in the Dominican Republic and in Peru (no split given), and non-organic cocoa from unnamed African and South American origins. It says all its cocoa is certified and traceable, naming Rainforest Alliance, Soil Association organic and Cocoa Horizons, but gives no shares, prices or child labour data, and publishes no modern slavery statement. It uses no palm oil; hazelnuts appear in a few bars.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Montezuma's is not among the companies sourcing over 1,000 tonnes of cocoa invited to the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard and has no score. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- The anatomy of a chocolate comeback (ConfectioneryNews, 2025) · search the archive · Paramount Retail Group bought Montezuma's in May 2023 in a rescue; part of Great British Confectionery Group; sales of £10.8m to May 2024
Published by Montezuma's or its owner
- Trading Fairly: Ethical Christmas Chocolate (Montezuma's) · search the archive · Organic cocoa from a cooperative in the Dominican Republic, expanded to Peru; other cocoa from unnamed African and South American origins
- About us (Montezuma's) · search the archive · West Sussex factory near Chichester; ingredients certified under Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Soil Association and Cocoa Horizons
- Business Done Properly (Montezuma's) · search the archive · Materials: says all cocoa is certified and it never uses palm oil; hazelnuts only in some bars such as Happiness
- Delivery information (Montezuma's) · search the archive · Delivers to the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada only; no delivery to Australia and no Australian stockists found
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Montezuma's ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/montezumas, 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 Montezuma's.