Pico
Good. Shows the people who make its products are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Vegan brand selling organic Fairtrade chocolate blocks.
Pico is reported to get most of its cocoa from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Also worth knowing
Its cocoa is Fairtrade certified, which comes with a minimum price for farmers and audits for child and forced labour.
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Why it's graded Good
- Met: Meets all 6 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
| Star | Awarded for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Pays above a living wage | Not earned | |
| Gives workers a real voice | Not earned | |
| Open supply chain | Not earned | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities | Not earned |
3 stars for the first way it goes above and beyond, and one more for each further way, up to 6. About stars
Good requirements 6 of 6
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: strong fair-pay scheme (Fairtrade)
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 listFully certified by Fairtrade, which holds and audits the list of farms. Pico doesn't publish its own.
- Met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts) where they're a major part of its rangeOnly in a few products: hazelnuts
Red flags 0
None found.
Accreditations 2
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Pico'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.
Chocolate: Good, the same as Pico overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its cocoa is grown
From press and retailer reports. Pico is fully certified by Fairtrade, which holds and audits its list of farms, but we haven't recorded its countries from it yet. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for chocolate: finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring).
- Uses hazelnuts in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Pico chocolate is made by an unnamed Swiss chocolatier from cocoa that Pico says comes from farming communities in Central and South America; a retailer listing names Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Peru, but Pico names no countries, cooperatives, manufacturer or prices paid to farmers. Pico block chocolate is listed by Fairtrade ANZ and the core organic range is sold as Fairtrade and certified organic, but the newer No Sugar Added line makes no Fairtrade claim on Pico's website. Pico publishes no impact report, child labour data or modern slavery statement; its owner Soulfresh also sells kombucha, plant milks and juices.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Certified | Pico block chocolate is listed on Fairtrade ANZ's chocolate brand finder for Australia and New Zealand; the No Sugar Added line makes no Fairtrade claim. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification for Pico or Soulfresh was identified. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | Cocoa from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Peru (the origins named in a retailer listing) is not on the US Department of Labor's child or forced labour goods list. View |
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Pico is not known to be rated on the Chocolate Scorecard. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Australian modern slavery statement from Pico or Soulfresh was identified. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations involving Pico were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Fairtrade ANZ – Fairtrade chocolate brands · search the archive · Pico block chocolate listed as Fairtrade in Australia and New Zealand.
- The Grocer – Investment firm True snaps up Soulfresh stake in £26m deal · search the archive · Soulfresh owns 11 brands including Pico vegan chocolate; True took a 43% stake.
- Supermarket News – The Art of Chocolate · search the archive · Pico is made in Switzerland from Central and South American cacao and described as Fairtrade and certified organic; Soulfresh handles NZ enquiries.
- Total Design Reviews – Pico chocolate (2018) · search the archive · Pico is part of Soulfresh (founder Didi Lo); made by Swiss chocolatiers; all varieties organic and Fairtrade at the time (2018).
- The Well Store – Pico Mint Crisp Chocolate · search the archive · Retailer listing: Pico's Swiss chocolatiers source cacao from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Published by Pico or its owner
- Pico – FAQs · search the archive · Hand-crafted by master chocolatiers in Switzerland; cacao from South and Central America; Fairtrade certified; vegan and organic; no palm oil.
- Pico – No Sugar Added range · search the archive · No Sugar Added Mint and Hazelnut bars; no Fairtrade or organic claim on the page.
Company details
- Owned by
- Soulfresh
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Pico ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/pico-chocolate, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Good means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Pico.