Author: Ayane

Writing Workshop I, Sophia University

Publication permission granted in August 2025

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    In reading “Coffee or Tea,” what was impressive was the hidden background of labor exploitation that supports these seemingly safe drinks. Both tea and coffee are predominantly cultivated in the Global South, including regions such as India, Sri Lanka, and South America, which have long been impacted by colonialism and economic suppression. The author describes tea and coffee as the “living symbols of their empires” and highlights how national identity stands on the other’s invisible suffering. 

    Today, the legacies of these empires lie in complex working conditions, suppression of labor unions, and unfair treatment of workers. For instance, in many Southeast Asian countries, industrial workers are still battling for their rights. Just this January, “50 unionists from IndustriALL affiliates in Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, and Thailand shared updates” (IndustriALL). Many countries come together to challenge these labor issues, which are so severe that they can't be solved without cooperative action. These efforts highlight the connections between global labor movements and demonstrate that multinational corporations frequently exploit legal loopholes and weak protections in developing countries. 

    Working conditions reflect the exploitative structures of the past, but today they exist with modern corporate structures that are concealed by gorgeous brand images and global marketing strategies. For example, coffee farms in Nestlé’s and Starbucks’s Chinese supply chains have been reported to employ child labor and impose excessive working hours under conditions that fail to meet even the companies’ own safety standards, according to the nonprofit China Labor Watch. These multinational companies claim that they only source beans from certified, ethically run farms, but research reveals a different reality. Many of these large farms secretly accept beans from smaller, uncertified ghost farms, which are informal farms that are not subject to oversight or labor regulations (THE WALL STREET JOURNAL). As a result, coffee produced under exploitative and unsafe conditions is passed off as ethically sourced and enters global markets. These findings suggest that brand reputation and images are often used as a cover, allowing companies to maintain a sophisticated image while distancing themselves from responsibility for labor exploitation within their own companies.

    This contradiction between gorgeous brand images and severe reality is not unique to coffee. Similar issues have been reported in tea plantations in Sri Lanka, where global brands like Lipton and Tetley operate their tea farms. According to Business & Human Rights Resource Centre,

An investigation by The Guardian has identified abuse, poverty wages, unfair wage 

deductions and squalid living conditions on 10 Sri Lankan tea estates certified by Rainforest 

Alliance and Fairtrade. Workers report verbal abuse by supervisors, not receiving owed wages 

and say they often have to skip meals as they cannot afford food. Some workers are forced to 

send their children out to work to make ends meet. Workers also report a lack of access to 

adequate sanitation facilities, with one estate resident dying after drinking contaminated 

water (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre).

These cases highlight how even ethically certified products hide human exploitation. And behind sophisticated brand identities and reassuring labels,  structural issues that continue to negatively impact weak workers lie.

    So, the tea and coffee we casually drink conceal the hardships of workers. It is not just a luxury item, but a reminder of the sacrifices people make in the global economy. If more people become aware of this, more people will start to think about the big impact of our consumption habits. Choosing fair trade products, supporting ethical supply chains, and educating ourselves about labor rights are just small steps, but it is also meaningful steps we can take from now on. Finally, this is not simply a matter of preferring tea or coffee. It is about understanding a complex system that aims to create a world where more and more people can be happy. 

(632 words)

Works Cited:

• “Fighting Anti-Union Legislation in South East Asia.” IndustriALL Global Union, 28 Jan. 2025, www.industriall-union.org/fighting-anti-union-legislations-in-south-east-asia. Accessed on 18 June 2025.

• “Nestlé, Starbucks Coffee Supply Chains Scrutinized Over China Labor Practices.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5 Dec. 2024, www.wsj.com/articles/nestle-starbucks-coffee-supply-chains-scrutinized-over-china-labor-practices-d387e961 Accessed on 15 July 2025.

• “Sri Lanka: Workers on Sri Lankan tea plantations supplying major companies including Lipton, Tetley and Yorkshire Tea living in poverty and squalor and subjected to abuse by supervisors; incl. company responses.” Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 23 May. 2023, www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/sri-lanka-workers-on-sri-lankan-tea-plantations-supplying-major-companies-including-lipton-tetley-and-yorkshire-tea-living-in-poverty-and-squalor-and-subjected-to-abuse-by-supervisors-incl-company-responses Accessed on 16 July 2025.