ROYCE' Chocolate
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Japanese chocolate maker known for nama chocolate.
ROYCE' Chocolate can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Ghana and Colombia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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 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 Colombia and Ecuador, 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 where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, partly in countries with poor worker rights
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 ROYCE' Chocolate'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 cocoa is grown
ROYCE' Chocolate says its cocoa comes from Colombia. Product labels show Ghana. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Not given | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | 32% | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | 7% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | 4% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | 3% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income.
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes ROYCE' makes all its products at its own factory in Hokkaido, Japan, but does not say where most of its cocoa is grown. It owns a cacao farm in Colombia, run by a local partner company since 2014, sells a Ghana-branded chocolate line and is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation. It names no certification, supplier list, child labour policy or monitoring, wage data or modern slavery statement. No labour abuses linked to its suppliers have been reported.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Not among the companies invited to the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard, which covers companies buying over 1,000 tonnes of cocoa a year. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | ROYCE' names no Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification for its cocoa. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- 7th edition Chocolate Scorecard: who is participating · search the archive · ROYCE' not among companies invited to the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard
- ROYCE' Ghana Sweet Chocolate (Pinkoi) · search the archive · ROYCE' sells a Ghana-branded chocolate line
- ROYCE' Fruit bar chocolate (Wafuu, Australian store) · search the archive · ROYCE' products sold online priced in AUD for Australian buyers
- Royce' (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Private company in Sapporo founded by Yasuhiro Yamazaki; stores in 16 countries outside Japan
Published by ROYCE' Chocolate or its owner
- Sustainability policy (ROYCE') · search the archive · Cocoa sourced through World Cocoa Foundation membership and own Colombian farm run by a local partner; all products made in Hokkaido
- ROYCE' champions sustainability and ethical production · search the archive · Own Colombian cacao farm since 2014; WCF member; no certifications or child labour policy named
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is ROYCE' Chocolate ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/royce-chocolate, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent ROYCE' Chocolate.