Typhoo
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
British tea brand known for black tea bags.
In 2022, managers on Kenyan tea estates that supplied Typhoo's tea sexually exploited women workers.
Also worth knowing
Typhoo has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions and a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2022.
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 rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers, last recorded in 2022
- 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 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its tea is grown
Typhoo names some of the countries its tea comes from: Kenya, India, Malawi, Uganda and Rwanda. The rest is shown as where tea is usually grown.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 43% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | 16% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Uganda | Not given | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Rwanda | Not given | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malawi | 8% | Strong protections | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Sri LankaUsual for the industry | 6% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
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)
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Typhoo's latest modern slavery statement, for the year to September 2022, says it buys tea from more than 11 countries, with Kenya 59%, India 12% and Malawi 11% of volume, and that all of it is Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade or organic certified; it publishes no estate list. Supreme plc bought the brand out of administration in December 2024 and now blends and packs it at its own UK factory in Gloucester; no sourcing disclosure under the new owner has been published. It has no living wage commitment for tea workers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Typhoo Tea Ltd lodged modern slavery statements on the UK registry for 2021 and 2022. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Profile links Typhoo as a buyer to 2022 unpaid wage protests in Darjeeling, a 2022 wage strike in Uganda and the 2023 BBC investigation of Kenyan tea estates; Typhoo answered. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | Typhoo's 2022 statement says its tea is Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade or organic certified, without saying how much is Fairtrade. View |
Confirmed issues 2
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | In August 2022 about 7,000 workers on Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates went unpaid for weeks, and the estate company admitted wages were late; five of its estates are listed as Typhoo suppliers (Telegraph India via BHRRC, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownNo source says what Typhoo did. It answered the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre's request for comment, but the response is not summarised. |
| 2022 | A 2023 BBC Panorama undercover investigation found managers sexually exploiting women workers on James Finlay tea estates in Kenya; Typhoo said it put tea from the producers involved on hold (Typhoo response to BHRRC, 2023). Source · search the archive | PartlyTyphoo said it put tea from the producers involved on hold and contacted James Finlay; no remedy for the women affected is reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- More than 250 workers at Bugambe Tea Estate in Uganda, run by McLeod Russel and listed as supplying Typhoo, went on strike in 2022 over low wages and a promised pay rise that had not been paid (BHRRC, 2022). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Typhoo response to BHRRC on BBC Panorama (March 2023) · search the archive · Typhoo put tea from the Kenyan producers in the BBC investigation on hold and contacted James Finlay
- India: Tea workers across Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates protest unpaid wages (BHRRC) · archived copy · August 2022 unpaid wages at DOTEPL; company admitted late wages; five estates listed as Typhoo suppliers
- Typhoo company profile (BHRRC) · search the archive · Links Typhoo to tea estate wage and safety stories; response requests answered
- Supreme plc final results, year to March 2025 (RNS) · search the archive · Supreme bought Typhoo's trade and assets out of administration on 29 November 2024; new tea manufacturing facility opened April 2025
- Typhoo 240 Teabags (British Corner Shop) · search the archive · UK online grocer selling Typhoo for worldwide delivery
Published by Typhoo or its owner
- Typhoo Modern Slavery Statement (year to 30 September 2022) · search the archive · Tea from over 11 countries; Kenya 59%, India 12%, Malawi 11% of volume; all RA, Fairtrade or organic certified; ETP member
- Typhoo website · search the archive · Rainforest Alliance Certified gardens; ETP member; made and packed in the UK at its Gloucester facility; operated by Supreme Imports Ltd
Company details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Typhoo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/typhoo, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Typhoo.