The Coffee Club
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Based on what The Coffee Club publishes, with few independent checks. It doesn't say where its products are made, so we use where its industry usually makes them. Researched with AI assistance against published rules. Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources · How we check
Brisbane-founded café chain.
We couldn't confirm where The Coffee Club gets most of its coffee.
Also worth knowing
Most coffee is grown in countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.
Better-graded café chains
Graded higher than The Coffee Club, selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent The Coffee Club? Send a right of reply.
Compare The Coffee Club with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements, with 1 red flag.Open why it has this gradeClose why it has this grade
- 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.
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 rightsJudged on where coffee is usually grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
- 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 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
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 The Coffee Club'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
Where its industry usually makes its goods: Brazil 35%, Vietnam 20%, Colombia 10% and 6 more countries.Open where it's madeClose where it's made
We couldn't confirm where The Coffee Club gets most of its coffee, so this shows where coffee is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 35% | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | 20% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Colombia | 10% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | 7% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | 7% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Honduras | 6% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Peru | 5% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Uganda | 5% | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
2 things we found and what 2 independent sources say.Open the evidenceClose the 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.
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes The Coffee Club calls its two signature blends sustainably sourced but names no certification. Its Three Stories blend names three estates (Brazil 50%, Colombia 30%, India 20%), while origins for its main blends are not given. Minor DKL's 2024 modern slavery statement lists coffee as a high-risk raw material with poor visibility and uses Sedex and a supplier code (43 of 118 critical suppliers on Sedex), but reports no audit results or cases.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Statement filed | Minor DKL Food Group lodged a joint modern slavery statement for 2024 covering The Coffee Club. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | On the goods list | Coffee from Brazil, an origin in its Three Stories blend, is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia for child labour. View |
Sources and actions
6 sources, company details, and how to send evidence or a right of reply.Open the sources and company detailsClose the sources and company details
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- World Vision Good Coffee Guide · search the archive · Older guide (about 2014) listed The Coffee Club as UTZ certified for 90% of its coffee
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee from Brazil listed for child and forced labour; Colombia for child labour
Published by The Coffee Club or its owner
- Minor DKL Food Group Modern Slavery Statement 2024 · search the archive · Joint statement covering The Coffee Club; coffee a high-risk material; Sedex onboarding 43 of 118 critical suppliers; no cases reported
- Minor Food: Why The Coffee Club · search the archive · 450+ outlets in 12 countries; two blends from sustainably sourced beans roasted in Melbourne
- The Coffee Club: Three Stories · search the archive · Three Stories blend: Serra Negra (Brazil) 50%, CoCentrale (Colombia) 30%, Sethuraman estate (India) 20%
- The Coffee Club: Sustainability · search the archive · Coffee roasted in Melbourne; Sedex member; supplier code; no coffee certification listed
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is The Coffee Club ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/the-coffee-club, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent The Coffee Club.
Choose a better-graded brand
4 brands in café chains are graded higher than The Coffee Club.
See 4 better-graded brands in café chainsSearch another brand