Tapal Tea
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 4 sources
Pakistan's leading branded tea company, selling Danedar and other black teas.
Tapal Tea can't show that the people who grow its tea in Kenya and Vietnam 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 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 tea is grown in India, China 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 Tapal Tea'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 tea is grown
Tapal Tea names some of the countries its tea comes from: Kenya and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri LankaUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalawiUsual for the industry | Strong protections | 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: tea estate wages in Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenya are among the lowest of any export crop, often paid partly in kind (housing, rations).
Research notes Tapal blends and packs imported tea in its own factories in Pakistan, which grows almost no tea itself. It says Tapal Tezdum is a blend of Kenyan leaf and its Peshawari Kahwa uses Vietnamese green tea, and its Danedar range was built on Kenyan tea, but it does not name origins or estates for its other blends. It publishes no certification, supplier list, modern slavery statement or information on conditions for tea workers.
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Tapal's journey to the top (Aurora, Dawn, 2018) · search the archive · Tapal began with Ceylon tea, then launched Danedar as a granular Kenyan tea; market leader in Pakistan's branded tea; factory in Korangi, Karachi
- Where does our tea come from? (Dawn, 2016) · search the archive · Pakistan imports tea from 38 countries, around 65% from Kenya
- Danedar Black Tea 450g - Tapal (Tales of India, Australia) · search the archive · In stock with delivery across Australia; product of Pakistan
Published by Tapal Tea or its owner
- Tapal Tea (official site) · search the archive · Tezdum is a blend of high-grown Kenyan leaf; Peshawari Kahwa from Vietnamese green tea; two factories and about 500 employees; no certifications named
Company details
- Headquarters
- Pakistan
- Employees
- About 500
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Tapal Tea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/tapal-tea, 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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