Zoégas
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Swedish dark-roast coffee brand.
In 2023, Brazilian inspectors freed workers from slave-like conditions and debt bondage on a farm supplying one of owner Nestlé's direct suppliers.
Also worth knowing
Zoégas has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 5 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and forced or child labour. 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: forced labour, last recorded in 2023.
Good requirements 0 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
- Not 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: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where its coffee is grown
We couldn't confirm where Zoégas 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- Invests in worker and farming communities
Research notes Zoégas is covered by Nestlé's coffee sourcing, which reports about 94% of its coffee (excluding Nespresso) as responsibly sourced, mostly 4C verified. Some Zoégas blends carry the Rainforest Alliance seal, but not the whole range, and none are Fairtrade. Zoégas names no origin countries for its range; one current blend lists Colombia, East Africa, Brazil and India. It has funded Nestlé farmer training in Kenya and Rwanda, and Nestlé began a two-year labour rights project with the ILO in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico in November 2025, but it has no time-bound living income commitment for coffee farmers.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Owner Nestlé's UK arm lodges a modern slavery statement (2026); no Swedish or Zoégas-specific statement was found. View |
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Owner Nestlé scored 26/100 (9th of 45) in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark; no remedy outcomes for supply chain workers disclosed. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Nestlé told Public Eye in 2025 it no longer buys from the Brazilian farms named in its slave-labour investigation. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Coffee from Brazil is listed for child and forced labour, and coffee from Colombia and other origins for child labour. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Brazilian inspectors freed workers from slave-like conditions and debt bondage in 2023 at Mata Verde, a 4C farm supplying Cooabriel, a direct supplier to owner Nestlé (Public Eye, 2025). Source · archived copy | PartlySupplier Cooabriel dropped the farm in May 2023 and 4C removed it; workers got about €900 each in severance. Nestlé says it does not buy from the farm. |
| 2015 | Owner Nestlé admitted to Danwatch in 2016 that it had bought coffee from two Brazilian plantations where authorities freed workers from slavery-like conditions in July 2015. Source · search the archive | Not knownNestlé admitted buying from the two plantations and said it would work with suppliers on the problem; no remedy for workers was 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.
- A 2025 petition by Coffee Watch to US Customs says the Brazilian cooperative Cooxupé sold coffee grown partly with forced labour to Nestlé and Starbucks (Mongabay, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Brazilian workers enslaved by Nestlé's coffee suppliers (Public Eye, 2025) · archived copy · Mata Verde slave-labour case 2023; Cooabriel a Nestlé supplier; severance paid; Nestlé response.
- You may be drinking coffee picked by slaves (Danwatch, 2016) · search the archive · Nestlé admitted buying from two plantations where workers were freed in July 2015.
- Rainforest Alliance: Zoégas · search the archive · Zoégas certified coffee sold in Sweden, Norway and Finland; no Australian sale or delivery listed.
- Zoégas Brazilian Summer dark roast 450g (ICA) · search the archive · Blend of Colombian, East African, Brazilian and Indian beans; Rainforest Alliance certified; Nestlé Sverige AB.
- Zoégas continues support for women coffee farmers in East Africa (Nestlé Nordic, 2019) · search the archive · Zoégas farmer training projects in Kenya and Rwanda running to 2021.
- Nestlé, ILO ink partnership to support labor rights in coffee supply chains (ESG Dive, 2026) · search the archive · April 2026: two-year Nestlé-ILO project on labour rights in coffee in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico
Published by Zoégas or its owner
- Nestlé responsible sourcing: coffee · search the archive · About 94% of Nestlé coffee (excluding Nespresso) responsibly sourced, mostly 4C verified; no living income commitment.
Company details
- Owned by
- Nestlé
- Headquarters
- Sweden
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Zoégas ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/zoegas, 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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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Zoégas.