Labour Lens

Pierre Marcolini

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Chocolate & cocoa

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources

Brussels luxury chocolatier making bean-to-bar chocolates.

There's no proof the people who grow its cocoa earn more than the legal minimum, which in Ecuador and Indonesia is well below a living wage.

Better-graded chocolate

Graded higher than Pierre Marcolini, selling the same kinds of things.

Tony's ChocolonelyChocolate & cocoaFairtrade chocolate barsHolds Fairtrade certification and publishes its suppliers.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 starsAlter EcoChocolate & cocoaOrganic fair trade chocolateHolds Fair for Life certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 starsMoser RothChocolate & cocoaPremium chocolate blocks sold at ALDIHolds SA8000 certification.GoodGoes Above and Beyond: Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities3 stars

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in countries such as Ecuador and Indonesia, 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
  • Not 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 rangeNot traced or certified: hazelnuts

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 Pierre Marcolini'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: On Track

Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.

Where its cocoa is grown

Pierre Marcolini names some of the countries its cocoa comes from: Brazil, DR Congo, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Indonesia, India, Madagascar, Peru and Venezuela. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.

Where its cocoa is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industryRegular violationsFar below a living wageModerate
EcuadorNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
GhanaUsual for the industryStrong protectionsWell below a living wageLow
BrazilSystematic violationsBelow a living wageModerate
DR CongoSystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
ChinaNo guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
CubaNo guarantee of rightsNot ratedModerate
IndiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
MadagascarSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
PeruSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
VenezuelaNo guarantee of rightsNot ratedHigh
CameroonUsual for the industrySystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
NigeriaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsFar below a living wageModerate
São Tomé and PríncipeWe don't have labour ratings for this country yet.

Evidence

What we found

  • Direct trade (self-reported)
  • It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
  • Doesn't show where its hazelnuts come from. Hazelnuts are linked to child labour and very low pay on Turkish hazelnut farms, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies them.

Research notes Marcolini makes its chocolate from about 230 tonnes of beans a year bought from 11 named origins: cooperatives and estates in China (Hainan), Cuba, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Peru, São Tomé, Venezuela (Chuao), DR Congo (Virunga), Brazil and Ecuador. It describes exclusive partnerships with some, but publishes no prices paid, volumes per origin, audits or child labour monitoring, and is still working on geolocating its beans. Hazelnut praliné is a core filling, with no origin given; its praliné boxes list no palm oil.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Chocolate ScorecardNot coveredPierre Marcolini and its owner are not among the companies invited to the 7th edition (2026) of the Chocolate Scorecard and have no published score. View

Sources and actions

Sources 5

Show all 5 sources
  1. Pierre Marcolini interview (La Libre, December 2024) · search the archive · Owner Orchid (MBK Partners); about 500 staff; 57 boutiques; 230 t of beans a year; bean geolocation under way; Haren workshop
  2. MBK Partners explores sale of Pierre Marcolini · search the archive · MBK Partners, owner since 2023 via VM2 Holdings, exploring a sale in May 2026
  3. Pralinés Anciens d'Aujourd'hui 36-piece box (Harrods) · search the archive · Materials: hazelnuts and almonds in praliné box; fats are cocoa butter and grapeseed oil, no palm oil; made in Belgium
  4. Pierre Marcolini at Selfridges (Australia site) · search the archive · Pierre Marcolini chocolates listed for Australian shoppers online; no Australian boutiques

Published by Pierre Marcolini or its owner

  1. Our growers and their plantations - Pierre Marcolini · search the archive · 11 named origins and grower partners, some exclusive; no prices, volumes or labour audits disclosed

Company details

Headquarters
Belgium
Employees
About 500
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Pierre Marcolini ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/pierre-marcolini, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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