Taylors of Harrogate

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

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

Family-owned Yorkshire tea and coffee merchant.

There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Brazil is below a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 2 of 5 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production 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.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 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 Nicaragua, 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
Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listNames its suppliers

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:
Star	Awarded for
	Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Accreditations 1

Rainforest AllianceSupportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own.

Estimates for its products

Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Taylors of Harrogate'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

From Taylors of Harrogate's own disclosure: it names its suppliers. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.

Where its coffee is grown, and conditions there
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
Ethiopia	Systematic violations	Far below a living wage	Moderate
Nicaragua	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Mexico	Regular violations	Below a living wage	Moderate
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
HondurasUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PeruUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
UgandaUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Far below a living wage	Moderate
GuatemalaUsual 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: 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. (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
Publishes supplier list
Modern slavery statement
Invests in worker and farming communities

Research notes Taylors says its core coffee and tea ranges carry at least one third-party certification, and its coffees are labelled Rainforest Alliance certified. It names coffee partners in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua and Ethiopia and has published a tea and coffee supplier list since 2019, but gives no volume shares. Its living wage pilot covers tea estates only, with nothing comparable for coffee. Labour abuses found on estates supplying the company's Yorkshire Tea are covered in that brand's record.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	BHRRC company profile records Bettys & Taylors' published supplier list and its 2023 responses on tea estate allegations. View
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)	Not listed	Taylors coffee carries the Rainforest Alliance mark, not Fairtrade. View
US Department of Labor goods lists	Listed	Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia, Mexico and other Taylors origins for child labour. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

BHRRC: Yorkshire Tea becomes first major tea brand to publish supplier list · search the archive · Taylors of Harrogate published its supplier list in 2019.
Shop Ethical!: Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate · search the archive · Rated C- (updated October 2025); sells some Rainforest Alliance certified coffee and tea; modern slavery statement published.
Bettys & Taylors Group Annual Review 2025 · search the archive · 1,608 staff; core ranges third-party certified; coffee partners in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Ethiopia; tea-only living wage pilot.
Taylors Rich Italian Ground Coffee (Ocado) · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance certified; roasted and packed by Taylors of Harrogate in the UK.
Taylors Decaffeinated Ground Coffee (Ocado) · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance certified decaf coffee; no bean origin stated.
Coles: Taylors of Harrogate products · search the archive · Taylors of Harrogate branded products sold in Coles stores in Australia.
Taylors Hot Lava Java Coffee (Amazon Australia) · search the archive · Taylors coffee sold online to Australian shoppers.

Company details

Owned by: Bettys & Taylors Group
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Employees: About 1,608
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Taylors of Harrogate ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/taylors-of-harrogate, 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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