Oxfam Fair Coffee
VerifiedOxfam Fair Coffee 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: 0 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
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia 15% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Timor-Leste 15% | Some protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras 14% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil 14% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia 14% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru 14% | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Indonesia 14% | 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
- 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)
- 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.
Oxfam Fair coffee is still sold in 2026 even though Oxfam Australia closed all its own shops after a 2019 board decision. Since 2019 the brand has been made under licence by Bean Alliance Group, a Melbourne roaster that pays Oxfam Australia a share of sales, and is sold online and in some supermarkets. All its coffee and drinking chocolate is described as Fairtrade and organic certified. It names its origin countries (Ethiopia, East Timor, Honduras, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea) but not the co-operatives it buys from or the prices paid. Production shares are spread evenly across the named origins because volumes are not published; the Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea are left out because they are not in the country list.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | The brand and Oxfam Australia describe all its coffee as Fairtrade certified; no separate Fairtrade ANZ listing was located. View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Found | Coffee from Honduras and the Dominican Republic, two of its origins, is on the US Department of Labor child labour list; the brand itself is not named. View ↗ |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Unclear | No modern slavery statement is published for the brand or its roaster; they are likely below the A$100m revenue threshold. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No published allegations involving Oxfam Fair coffee or Bean Alliance Group. View ↗ |
Sources (5)
- Fair Coffee (Oxfam fair) online shop · archived copy · Products on sale in 2026; roasted and dispatched from Melbourne; coffee and drinking chocolate described as 100% Fairtrade certified and Australian Certified Organic; origins include Ethiopia, Hondura
- About us - Fair Coffee · archived copy · Oxfam fair brand launched in 2010 for supermarkets and online; roasted by Bean Alliance Group in Melbourne under a 2019 contract; proceeds go to Oxfam Australia; no co-operatives named.
- Oxfam brews up new coffee alliance - Oxfam Australia (2019) · archived copy · Oxfam fair brand continues under licence with Bean Alliance Group, which pays Oxfam a percentage of sales; Fairtrade and organic certified; sold in supermarkets and online.
- Oxfam Shop - Oxfam Australia · archived copy · Board decided in 2019 to close trading operations; all online and retail stores are closed; fair coffee and drinking chocolate still available in supermarkets and online.
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor - US Department of Labor · archived copy · Coffee is listed for child labour in countries including Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
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.