Woolworths own brand coffee
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Woolworths' own-label ground, bean and capsule coffee.
We couldn't confirm where Woolworths own brand coffee 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 beans and roasters
Graded higher than Woolworths own brand coffee, selling the same kinds of things.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Woolworths own brand coffee? Send a right of reply.
Compare Woolworths own brand coffee with another brand
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 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 Woolworths own brand coffee'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
We couldn't confirm where Woolworths own brand coffee 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
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)
- Modern slavery statement
Research notes Woolworths Group requires own-brand coffee, including beans, capsules and coffee used as an ingredient, to come from independently certified sources such as Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance, and Woolworths coffee is listed in the Rainforest Alliance directory. The countries where the coffee is grown and its roasters are not disclosed. Woolworths ranked first in KnowTheChain's 2026 food and beverage benchmark and reports wage repayments to supply chain workers, but publishes supplier lists only for apparel and general merchandise.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Woolworths Group lodges annual joint modern slavery statements, most recently for F25. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Ranked 1st of 45 companies with 56/100 in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Benchmark. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Unclear | Coffee from several growing countries is on the US DOL list for child or forced labour, but the origin of Woolworths own-brand coffee is not disclosed. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Unclear | Woolworths policy allows Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance for own-brand coffee; which lines are Fairtrade certified is not published. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No allegations about Woolworths own-brand coffee were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Woolworths – Find certified products (Rainforest Alliance) · search the archive · Woolworths coffee, tea, chocolate and bananas listed as Rainforest Alliance certified (updated May 2026)
- KnowTheChain 2026 Food & Beverage Scorecard: Woolworths Group · search the archive · Scored 56/100 and ranked 1st of 45; does not publish a first-tier supplier list
- Woolworths Group Modern Slavery Statement F25 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · F25 joint statement: 1,085 supplier site audits, about $506,000 repaid to 200+ workers
- US DOL List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor · search the archive · Coffee is among the most common agricultural goods on the US DOL list.
Published by Woolworths own brand coffee or its owner
- POL.020 Policy – Net-Zero Deforestation: Tea, Coffee, Soy and Cane Sugar Sourcing V7 (Woolworths Group) · search the archive · Own-brand coffee must be independently certified, such as Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance
- POL.020 Sustainable Tea, Coffee, Cocoa and Cane Sugar Sourcing V5 (Woolworths Group) · search the archive · Certification covers beans, capsules, sachets and coffee as an ingredient; no origin countries named
- Human rights (Woolworths Group) · search the archive · Supplier lists for BIG W and Woolworths apparel only; $2.1M repaid to 1,500+ supply chain workers F21–F25
Company details
- Owned by
- Woolworths Group Limited
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Woolworths own brand coffee ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/woolworths-own-brand-coffee, 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 Woolworths own brand coffee.