Violet Crumble
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Chocolate-coated honeycomb bar made in Adelaide.
There's no proof workers earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 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 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listRuns its own factories
- Not met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (palm oil) where they're a major part of its range
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 Violet Crumble'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 cocoa is grown
From Violet Crumble's own disclosure: it runs its own factories and says where its cocoa comes from.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Traces all of its palm oil to the country of origin or beyond, or buys all of it certified
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes Violet Crumble bars are made at Menz's own factory in Glynde, Adelaide; since July 2026 some seasonal Violet Crumble products are made under licence by Yowie Group at its Coburg North, Victoria, factory. The company gives no origin for its cocoa, holds no Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification for it and publishes no modern slavery statement or supplier list. Its palm oil, used in the coating, has been 100% segregated RSPO certified from United Plantations in Malaysia since 2012, and Zoos Victoria's 2025 guide still lists Violet Crumble as segregated certified palm oil.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Robern Menz is an RSPO member and has used only fully segregated certified sustainable palm oil, from United Plantations in Malaysia, since 2012. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Menz Confectionery (Ethical Consumer Guide) · search the archive · Family owned by the Sims family; bought Violet Crumble from Nestlé in 2018; brands listed
- Yowie Group secures seasonal confectionery licence (Food & Beverage Industry News, 2026) · search the archive · Core Violet Crumble bars made by Robern Menz in SA; seasonal licensed lines made at Ernest Hillier's Coburg North facility from July 2026
- Top BHP miner sweetens the deal for Robern Menz (InDaily, 2021) · search the archive · About 160 staff; honeycomb and Violet Crumble made in-house at Glynde, Adelaide
- Robern Menz: sustainable palm oil (Glam Adelaide, 2012) · search the archive · RSPO member; 100% segregated CSPO from United Plantations, Malaysia, for all palm oil products
- Zoos Victoria Easter chocolate guide 2025 · search the archive · Violet Crumble uses 100% segregated certified sustainable palm oil
- Violet Crumble Dark Choc Honeycomb Cubes (ingredients) · search the archive · Ingredients include hydrogenated palm oil and cocoa powder
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Employees
- About 160
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Violet Crumble ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/violet-crumble, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Violet Crumble.