Ozone Coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
NZ-founded specialty coffee roaster.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage, and Ozone Coffee has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Ozone Coffee? Send a right of reply.
Compare Ozone Coffee with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 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 2 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 Honduras and Guatemala, 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listNames its suppliers
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
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 Ozone 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
From Ozone Coffee's own disclosure: it names its suppliers. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| Honduras | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Costa Rica | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Bolivia | Regular violations | Not rated | Moderate |
| El Salvador | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | High |
| Nicaragua | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | 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 |
| 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)
- Publishes supplier list
- Direct trade (self-reported)
Research notes Ozone's 2025 sourcing report names 29 long-term producer partners in Costa Rica, Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Kenya and Thailand, some dating to 2003, bought directly or through exporters, and says it pays above local cost of production. It publishes no prices paid, volumes or audit results; it gives no volumes by country. Its B Corp score rose to 97.6 on recertification in 2025. No labour abuses linked to its suppliers have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Ozone Coffee Roasters International (HQ Taranaki, NZ) has been a Certified B Corp since August 2022 and was recertified with a score of 97.6, up from 83.6. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Ozone's coffees are not Fairtrade certified; its sourcing report names no Fairtrade certification. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- UK specialty coffee roaster Hasbean to become Ozone (World Coffee Portal, 2024) · search the archive · Ozone bought Hasbean in 2018 and rebranded it in March 2024; founded NZ 1998; UK since 2012
- Ozone Coffee Sourcing Report 2025 · search the archive · Names 29 producer partners in 11 countries with start years; direct, exporter or third-party models; prices above local cost of production
- Ozone Coffee Roasters (The Way to Coffee) · search the archive · Over 150 staff across New Zealand and the UK
Published by Ozone Coffee or its owner
- Our 2025 Sourcing Report (Ozone Coffee) · search the archive · 27+ long-term producer partnerships; works directly with producers or trusted partners
- Ozone Coffee is officially recertified as a B Corp · search the archive · Recertified with 97.6; Workers 29.1, Community 24.2; plans more smallholder buying
- Shipping policy (Ozone Coffee UK) · search the archive · Ships internationally by UPS to all parts of the world
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Employees
- About 150
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ozone Coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ozone-coffee, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency 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 Ozone Coffee.