Labour Lens

Tea Drop

Lacks transparency

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

Tea

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

Melbourne specialty tea company.

We couldn't confirm where Tea Drop gets most of its tea.

Also worth knowing

Most tea is grown in countries such as India and Kenya, where pay is usually well below a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
  • 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 rightsWhere tea is usually grown, such as India and China, 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: Probably made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain

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 Tea Drop'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

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where Tea Drop gets most of its tea, so this shows where tea is usually grown.

Where its tea is grown, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
India30%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh
Kenya25%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Sri Lanka20%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
China15%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Malawi5%Strong protectionsFar below a living wageModerate
Indonesia5%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageModerate

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). (partly offset by certification or direct sourcing)
  • Direct trade (self-reported)

Research notes Tea Drop says its leaves are ethically sourced and bought directly from plantations, and that it uses Rainforest Alliance certified estates wherever possible and is an Ethical Tea Partnership member. It does not name the countries or estates it buys from, what share of its tea is certified, or any wage or audit information.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreUnclearIncluded in the 2021 tea supply chain survey; no allegations are recorded against Tea Drop. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources
  1. Tea Drop - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre · search the archive · Headquartered in Australia; profile lists no allegations
  2. Tea Drop Turns Twenty - South Melbourne Market (2024) · search the archive · Founded by Ashok Dias in 2004; ethically obtained leaves; Ethical Tea Partnership member; brew bar at South Melbourne Market
  3. Enterprise: Tea Drop - Inside Small Business · search the archive · Buys directly from plantations; Rainforest Alliance certified plantations wherever possible; no origins named
  4. Tea Drop - South Melbourne Market traders · search the archive · Bar and retail store at Stall 34, Deli Aisle; over 100 tea flavours
  5. The Founders Brew: 100 Complimentary Tastings at Tea Drop (October 2026) · search the archive · Still trading at South Melbourne Market in October 2026
  6. The Story of Tea Drop - Dankoff · search the archive · Hand-picked, ethically sourced, small-batch seasonal leaves; no countries or certifications named

Company details

Headquarters
Australia
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Tea Drop ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/tea-drop, 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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Something missing or wrong?

Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Tea Drop.

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