ONA Coffee
On Track*. Says it buys directly and pays fairly, but hasn't published proof.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources
Canberra specialty coffee roaster.
ONA Coffee gets most of its coffee from eight countries, including Brazil and Ethiopia, and there's no confirmed labour problem on its record.
* Self-reported. ONA Coffee 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
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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 5 Good requirements.
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 rightsSome of its coffee is grown in countries such as Guatemala and Nicaragua, 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 1
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using ONA Coffee'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
ONA Coffee names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Nicaragua | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| El Salvador | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | High |
| Panama | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ColombiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| HondurasUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PeruUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| UgandaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing) Source
- Direct trade (self-reported)
- Built around direct trade with named farms or producers
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- 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 ONA buys through Project Origin, the green coffee business Sasa Sestic started from ONA, which works directly with farmers, prices lots by cup quality rather than the commodity market and has run childcare and medical support on partner farms. It does not publish the prices it pays, volumes by origin or a supplier list, and its coffees carry no Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification. Its current range names estates and lots in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil. It does not disclose how much it buys from each origin.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Its coffees carry no Fairtrade certification; it buys through Project Origin's direct relationships instead. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil, one of its origins, is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Guatemala and Kenya for child labour; the brand itself is not named. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | No modern slavery statement is lodged; the business is likely below the A$100 million revenue reporting threshold. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US Department of Labor) · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour; Guatemala and Kenya for child labour
- ONA Coffee to make international debut (BeanScene, 2025) · search the archive · Founded by Sasa Sestic; flagship venues in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane
- Project Origin: making a difference one cup at a time (HerCanberra, 2014) · search the archive · Project Origin started through ONA; direct work with farmers; childcare and medical checkups on farms; premium over Fairtrade prices
- Project Origin's quality relationships (Global Coffee Report, 2016) · search the archive · Project Origin grew out of Ona Coffee; prices set by cupping score; named Honduran producers; sourcing from 11 countries
Published by ONA Coffee or its owner
- ONA Coffee range (onacoffee.com.au) · search the archive · Coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil; no certifications or prices paid shown
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is ONA Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ona-coffee, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded beans and roasters
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent ONA Coffee.