The Sustainable Coffee Company
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Port Melbourne specialty coffee roaster.
There's no proof the people who grow its coffee earn more than the legal minimum, which in Colombia is well below a living wage, and The Sustainable Coffee Company 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 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 rightsMost of its coffee is grown in Colombia and Guatemala, 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: Made mostly 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 The Sustainable Coffee Company'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
The Sustainable Coffee Company says its coffee comes from Colombia and Brazil. Product labels show Ethiopia and Guatemala.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 50% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Not given | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ethiopia | Not given | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Guatemala | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Papua New Guinea | Not given | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
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)
- Direct trade (self-reported)
Research notes The roaster says about half its coffee is bought directly from a small Colombian co-operative under an annual purchase commitment, but it does not name the co-op or publish the prices it pays. Its Coffee For Nature beans come from a Brazilian farm (named in 2024 news as Bom Jesus), and its blends also list Ethiopia, Guatemala and Papua New Guinea, with no shares given for these. It holds no Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or organic certification and publishes no supplier audits or modern slavery statement.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Colombia and Guatemala, two of its sourcing countries, is on the US child labour list. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Its website and product pages name no Fairtrade or other fair trade certification. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor: coffee · search the archive · Coffee from Colombia and Guatemala is listed for child labour.
- Brewing a greener future (Food & Beverage Industry News) · search the archive · Port Melbourne roaster says most coffee coming through now is from the Bom Jesus farm in Brazil.
- Sustainable Coffee Co supports OzHarvest (Food & Drink Business, 2024) · search the archive · Its Coffee for a Cause blend uses beans from the Bom Jesus farm in Brazil.
Published by The Sustainable Coffee Company or its owner
- About us (The Sustainable Coffee Company) · search the archive · About half its coffee comes directly from a small Colombian co-operative; Coffee For Nature beans from a Brazilian farm; roasts in Port Melbourne.
- The Sustainable Coffee Company: home and shop · search the archive · Blends list origins in Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Papua New Guinea; no certification or direct trade named.
- Sustainable coffee supplies (The Sustainable Coffee Company) · search the archive · Sustainability page covers carbon offsets, compostable bags and machine reuse, with no farms, prices or certifications named.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is The Sustainable Coffee Company ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/the-sustainable-coffee-company, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded beans and roasters
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 Sustainable Coffee Company.