Labour Lens

Tchibo

Lacks transparency

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

Coffee

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Hamburg coffee roaster and retailer.

Tchibo can't show that the people who grow its coffee in Vietnam and Indonesia 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.

How grades are decided

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 Indonesia and Honduras, 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:
StarAwarded for
Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities

Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Estimates for its products

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

Tchibo names some of the countries its coffee comes from: Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru, Tanzania and Uganda. The rest is shown as where coffee is usually grown.

Where its coffee is grown, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
BrazilSystematic violationsBelow a living wageModerate
VietnamSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
IndonesiaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
HondurasNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
GuatemalaNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
PeruSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
UgandaSystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate
KenyaSystematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
TanzaniaSystematic violationsFar below a living wageLow
ColombiaUsual for the industryNo guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate
EthiopiaUsual for the industrySystematic violationsFar below a living wageModerate

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.
  • Invests in worker and farming communities

Research notes Tchibo buys coffee from around 75,000 smallholders and names nine growing countries in its coffee programme (Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru, Tanzania and Uganda), but publishes no shares by country or farm list. About 20% was certified (Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or organic) in 2024, and about 27% met its own responsible sourcing standard in 2026, with targets of 40% by end-2026 and 100% by 2027. The programme is checked by the nonprofit Enveritas, which covers child labour, but there is no living income target.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ)CertifiedSome Tchibo coffees carry Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or organic labels; in 2024 these and its own projects covered about 20% of its coffee. View
US Department of Labor goods listsListedCoffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya and other origins for child labour. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour.
  2. Tchibo case study (Climate & Company, 2026) · search the archive · Enveritas assesses child labour risk in Tchibo's growing regions; no living income benchmark cited.
  3. Tchibo Exclusive Decaf Coffee (Ubuy Australia) · search the archive · Tchibo coffee sold online with delivery to Australia; no Australian stores.

Published by Tchibo or its owner

  1. Two years of the Tchibo coffee programme (Tchibo press release, April 2026) · search the archive · 22,000 farms in BR, HN, ID, GT, KE, PE, TZ, VN, UG; 27% responsibly sourced, 100% target by 2027; 10,452 staff.
  2. So sichert Tchibo die Zukunft des Kaffees (Tchibo Austria, May 2026) · search the archive · About 27% responsibly sourced; 40% target by end-2026, 100% by 2027; 22,000 farms in nine named countries; Enveritas checks.
  3. From 2027 all Tchibo coffees from responsible sourcing (Tchibo, January 2024) · search the archive · About 20% certified Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, organic or own projects; 75,000 smallholders; Enveritas verification.

Company details

Headquarters
Germany
Employees
About 10,452
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Tchibo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/tchibo, 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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