Numi Organic Tea
VerifiedNumi Organic Tea is on the right track: Fairtrade certification covers farmer prices and working conditions. What's missing is publishing where its products are made.
Last researched 9 October 2026
Heading in the right direction. Workers are paid enough to live on, or the company is certified as working towards it, and there are no serious warning signs. One piece is still unproven. What this grade means
Good: 4 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 1 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 0
None found.
Where it's made: not disclosed
Showing where tea products are usually made instead.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India 30% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
| Kenya 25% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri Lanka 20% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China 15% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi 5% | Some protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- Tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
- Certified B Corp: Whole-company assessment. Labour is one part of the score, so it is supportive rather than proof.
- Fairtrade certified: Minimum price and premium for farmers; audits for child and forced labour. Minimum price does not always reach a living income.
- Certified organic: Organic certification has no labour criteria beyond basics.
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Numi is a privately owned Oakland tea company. It has been a B Corp since 2007, with a score of 120.3, and over half of its teas come from Fair Trade Certified gardens. Growers vote on how Fair Trade premiums are spent, and Numi says it has paid more than US$1 million in premiums. All its teas are USDA organic. It says it works with farmers in 34 countries and names a few sources, such as the Tonganagaon tea estate in India and turmeric from Madagascar, but it does not publish a full supplier list, shares by country or wage data.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Found | Certified B Corp since 2007, with a current overall score of 120.3. View ↗ |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | Numi uses Fair Trade USA (Fair Trade Certified) rather than Fairtrade International, and over half of its teas are certified. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | The 2024 US Department of Labor list includes tea from some countries but names no companies, and Numi is not named. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | Numi is a US company with no Australian modern slavery statement found. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations against Numi were found on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. View ↗ |
Sources (5)
- Numi Organic Tea - B Corp directory · archived copy · Certified B Corp since December 2007; overall score 120.3 (Workers 28.1); HQ California; over half its teas come from Fair Trade Certified gardens.
- Fair Trade & Beyond - Numi Organic Tea · archived copy · Numi is a leading purchaser of Fair Trade Certified tea; farmers vote on use of premiums (schools, medical staff, maternity benefits); more than $1 million in premiums contributed; growers are certifi
- About us - Numi Organic Tea · archived copy · Founded 1999 in Oakland by Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani; entity is Numi, Inc. P.B.C.; buys organic fair trade black tea from the Tonganagaon tea estate in India.
- Numi Organic Tea - Wikipedia · archived copy · Privately owned, with J.M. Smucker holding a minority stake; HQ Oakland; all teas USDA Organic; many teas Fair Trade.
- Numi Organic Tea sources the right spices worldwide - Beverage Industry (2020) · archived copy · Works with farmers in 34 countries; turmeric sourced from Madagascar; offers 32 Fair Trade-certified tea SKUs.
Last researched 9 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.