Sarotti
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 6 sources
German chocolate brand made by Stollwerck, owned by Belgium's Baronie.
Sarotti publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Workers in Côte d'Ivoire are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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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 supply chain. 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 rightsJudged on where its cocoa is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Ecuador, Cameroon and Nigeria.
- 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: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
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 Sarotti'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
These are Stollwerck's cocoa origins across all its brands; Sarotti doesn't say where its own cocoa is grown. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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
- 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 Sarotti is made by Stollwerck, which also makes Alpia and private-label chocolate. Stollwerck names Côte d'Ivoire as its main cocoa origin and runs its own Transparence Cacao programme, aiming for 95% sustainable cocoa in German products by 2025, full traceability to farmers and child labour monitoring (CLMRS) at its partner cooperatives, but publishes no origin shares, certified share or child labour cases found. It had no living income commitments in its 2023 roadmap. Figures are group-wide, not for Sarotti alone.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Listed | Stollwerck scored 57% (50-74% band, starting to develop good policies) in the 6th Chocolate Scorecard (2025); no 2026 result found, though it was invited. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- 2025 Chocolate Scorecard companies · search the archive · Stollwerck 57% in the 6th edition Chocolate Scorecard
- The 7th Ed Chocolate Scorecard: who is participating · search the archive · Stollwerck invited to the 2026 7th edition
- Stollwerck GISCO Roadmap 2023 · search the archive · Côte d'Ivoire focus; Transparence Cacao programme; 90-95% sustainable cocoa targets; traceability by end 2024; CLMRS target; no living income commitment
- Stollwerck - sustainabilityreports.com · search the archive · Stollwerck GmbH makes private label and its own brands Alpia and Sarotti
- Barry Callebaut closes Stollwerck sale to Baronie · search the archive · Stollwerck sold by Barry Callebaut to Belgium's Baronie
- Sarotti Schwarze Herren Schokolade - Rossmann · search the archive · Sarotti sold by German retailers
Company details
- Owned by
- Stollwerck GmbH (Baronie Group)
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Sarotti ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/sarotti, last researched 30 October 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 Sarotti.