We first got a taste for Madeleine Hoy’s playful food-shaped candles in 2021 when the NSW designer released a debut collection of uncannily realistic fruit and veg.
Since then, she’s launched her much-loved “wobbly-looking tomato” candle, collaborated with the likes of Maison Balzac and Milly Dent and opened a Sydney shopfront that looks for all the world like a great place to stock up greens for the fridge. She’s also partnered with sister Isabel Hoy to make Nonna’s Grocer a family business – just like the fruit shop owned by their great-grandparents that inspired it all to begin with.
Now the sisters have launched a third candle collection to confuse and delight our senses. Like previous Nonna’s Grocer drops, it’s all handmade in Sydney and designed to look like a grab bag of goodness from your local fresh produce aisle. This time around, the candles are themed to summertime eats and long afternoons spent in the courtyard feasting with friends.
“Crunchy fennel salads, mango juice dripping down your sticky arms before a
dunk in the ocean, plums off the tree, G&Ts adorned with starfruit slices and
road trips fuelled by a box of avos scored from the local produce markets,” inspired the collection, Madeleine says.
There are seven new designs to choose from – fennel ($49), avocado (small $32, large $38), plum ($29), mango ($36), starfruit (small $32, large $36) – plus bundled candle sets if you want to double up on the non-digestible decor.
Though it’s a little early for real warm-weather produce in the shops, Isabel says it’s never too early for summer vibes. “We wanted to bring that summery feeling we all long for back into the home,” she says. “Especially for those not scooting off to Europe for a Mediterranean summer.”
Nonna’s Grocer’s third collection is available now in store and online.
