Saquella
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Family-owned Pescara coffee roaster.
Saquella can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Colombia and Indonesia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded beans and roasters
Graded higher than Saquella, selling the same kinds of things.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 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 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 Colombia 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
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 Saquella'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
Saquella names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia and India. 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 |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well 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 |
| EthiopiaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Costa Rica | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PeruUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| UgandaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Papua New Guinea | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
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.
Research notes Saquella imports more than 20 green coffees and names Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea among its origins, plus unnamed Central American and Central African ones, but gives no shares, farms or exporters. One line is Fairtrade certified. It publishes no supplier code, human rights policy, modern slavery statement or wage information. No Australian stockist or delivery to Australia was found; its own shop ships within Italy.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Certified | Saquella has been a Fairtrade licensee since 2013, but only one line (Bar Italia Fairtrade) carries the mark; the rest of its range is not certified. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras for child labour; these are among Saquella's named origins. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | Saquella is a small Italian company with no Australian operations, so it does not report under the Australian Modern Slavery Act. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour; Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras for child labour.
- Saquella 1856 company profile (ICE Italian Trade Agency) · search the archive · Family firm in Pescara since 1856; 20+ coffees from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, PNG; Fairtrade since 2013.
- Saquella 1856 S.R.L. (ICE Find your Italian partner) · search the archive · 20-49 employees; EUR 5-15 million turnover; distributors in 47 countries; no company-wide certifications listed.
- Bar Italia Fairtrade 1Kg (ICE large-scale distribution catalogue) · search the archive · Fairtrade applies to the Bar Italia Fairtrade product line.
Published by Saquella or its owner
- Saquella Caffè official site · search the archive · Beans, ground, pods and capsules; online shop delivers in Italy; no Australian distributor named.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Saquella ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/saquella, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency 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 Saquella.