Muffin Break
Lacks transparency. Shows little about where or how its products are made.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Franchised bakery café chain in shopping centres.
We couldn't find where Muffin Break gets most of its coffee, a certification covering its range or a list of its suppliers.
Also worth knowing
Most coffee is grown in countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- 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 rightsJudged on where coffee is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
- 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 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
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 Muffin Break'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
We couldn't confirm where Muffin Break gets most of its coffee, so this shows where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 35% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | 7% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Uganda | 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | 5% | 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.
Research notes Muffin Break's Australian blend is roasted in Melbourne from beans grown in five regions, which it does not name. Its UK cafés say their master roaster buys Arabica from Ethiopia, India, Brazil, East Timor, Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico, but it is not stated that the Australian blend uses the same origins. No certification such as Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance is claimed, and no farm list, supplier code or modern slavery statement from Foodco has been published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No modern slavery statement from Foodco or Muffin Break appears on the Australian register; whether Foodco meets the reporting threshold is not public. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | No Fairtrade certification is claimed for Muffin Break coffee. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations about Muffin Break's coffee supply chain were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- IBISWorld: Foodco Holdings Pty Ltd · search the archive · Foodco is a private proprietary company owning Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue.
Published by Muffin Break or its owner
- Muffin Break: Always Australian roasted coffee · search the archive · Beans shipped to Melbourne and roasted in Australia; sustainability claims cover cup recycling only; no certification named.
- Muffin Break: Chat with Head of Coffee Jeremy Regan · search the archive · Blend of beans from five growing regions, not named; no certification or farm relationships described.
- Muffin Break: From bean to coffee machine · search the archive · Beans sourced from five regions; no countries, certifications or ethical sourcing claims.
- Muffin Break UK: Our coffee shop story · search the archive · Brand began in Canada and was bought by Foodco Group; UK master roaster sources Arabica from seven named countries.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Muffin Break ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/muffin-break, 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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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Muffin Break.