Trade Aid
VerifiedTrade Aid is one of the best choices: as a WFTO fair trade organisation it guarantees fair wages and conditions. It also pays beyond a living wage, finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities and actively empowers workers.
Last researched 8 October 2026
The best you can buy. Workers are paid well above what they need to live on, and the company goes further, by finding and fixing problems in its supply chain or giving workers a real say. What this grade means
Good: 5 of 5
- Pays a living wage
- Respects worker rights
- Full supply chain audit, or made only in countries with rigorous labour standards
- No child or forced labour findings
- Publishes where its products are made (supplier list, named farms or its own factories)
Great: 3 of 3
- Pays beyond a living wage
- Finds and fixes problems, or invests directly in workers' communities
- Actively empowers workers
Needs all Good requirements plus two of these.
Red flags: 0
None found.
Where it's made
| Country | Worker rights | Legal wages | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | High |
Country conditions from the ITUC Global Rights Index, Global Slavery Index and living wage benchmarks. Certifications and audits can raise a company above its countries' baseline.
Why this grade
- WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade: Whole-organisation fair trade standard; requires a living wage commitment.
- Certified organic: Organic certification has no labour criteria beyond basics.
- Publishes supplier list
Trade Aid is a New Zealand fair trade organisation, founded in 1973 and registered as a charity, whose whole business is a Guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organization. Its tea is grown organically by small-scale farmers in India and supplied through Tea Promoters India, a partner since 2014, and it names other producer partners such as cocoa co-operatives in the Dominican Republic and Peru and the Manduvira sugar co-operative in Paraguay. It says prices are negotiated with producers with the aim of a local living wage, but it does not publish the actual prices paid, and it only delivers within New Zealand.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| World Fair Trade Organization | Found | Listed as a Guaranteed member (Trade Aid Importers Ltd) with a 2026 WFTO membership certificate. View ↗ |
| OpenCorporates | Found | Trade Aid Importers Limited is a New Zealand limited company and registered charity (CC26394). View ↗ |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Unclear | No listing for tea from India was confirmed on the US Department of Labor goods list. View ↗ |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | Appears only as a commentator warning about slavery in chocolate; no allegations against Trade Aid. View ↗ |
Sources (10)
- Trade Aid Importers Ltd – WFTO member profile · archived copy · Guaranteed WFTO member with a 2026 membership certificate; founded in New Zealand in 1973; 0-25 employees listed; 20+ shops and wholesale to over 1,300 businesses.
- Made fair – Trade Aid · archived copy · Works to the ten WFTO principles under the WFTO Guarantee System; prices mutually negotiated with the aim of a local living wage; no specific prices published.
- Organic fair trade tea – Trade Aid · archived copy · Tea supplied by Tea Promoters India (Darjeeling), a partner since 2014; organically grown by small-scale farmers who own their land.
- Earl grey tea – 50 tea bags – Trade Aid · archived copy · Tea organically grown by small-scale tea farmers in India, supplied by Tea Promoters India; organic certified.
- Green tea – 50 tea bags – Trade Aid · archived copy · Green tea also from Tea Promoters India, grown in India.
- FAQs – Trade Aid · archived copy · Does not deliver outside New Zealand; names cocoa partners in the Dominican Republic and Peru and Manduvira sugar co-operative in Paraguay.
- 50 years of trading fair – Trade Aid · archived copy · Formed in 1973 as a not-for-profit; describes itself as a social enterprise.
- Trade Aid Importers Limited – CharityData · archived copy · Registered NZ charity CC26394 (a limited company); 31 staff and 10 volunteers reported for the year to June 2017.
- ILAB Cocoa Storyboard – US Department of Labor · archived copy · Context for the DOL goods list check.
- Beware of slavery in chocolate, says Trade Aid – BHRRC · archived copy · Trade Aid appears on BHRRC as a commentator on slavery in chocolate, not as the subject of allegations.
Last researched 8 October 2026 · details still being verified. Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Represent this company and think something is wrong? A right-of-reply form is coming soon.