Now, we're hungry: This local store sells candles that make us crave our favorite food
It’s a given that we get comfort from food. For most people, it’s through cooking, baking, and eating. A Pinoy creative, however, found it in something else: food, but in the form of realistic candles.
A licensed nurse but a “crafter by heart,” Nerrie Lour Monsale decided to combine her love for food with art in the middle part of 2021, when a lot of people were looking for ways to cope with the pandemic and finding new hobbies. Scented candles were very popular at the time.
“I saw a lot of people selling scented candles in jars and glasses then, so my playful mind went: ‘What if I make my own but a different one?’ Since I love sweets, I told myself that I would make dessert candles, candles that would look like real food and smell like one,” she told PhilSTAR L!fe.
Fuelling her love for anything DIY, Monsale decided to try her hand at it in July 2021. “I started sorting materials, researching how to make candles, watched a lot of videos, read a lot of articles,” she recalled.
With enough knowledge and equipment, Monsale launched her online shop WeBake Candle a month later with 20 designs to choose from. Now, she has over a hundred options in her lineup—from solo “servings” to full-blown collections inspired by various restaurants in the Philippines. She has since sold thousands of them, with prices ranging from P120 to P2,800.
The process of making food and drink candles may look simple, but just like baking and cooking, it’s not entirely an easy feat. “It takes selecting the proper types of wax, computing for the right amount of scent, proper color mixing, setting the candles to dry,” she said.
“The most intricate part is the final step, which is decorating so it will look real—but it’s also what I enjoy the most,” she continued.
While it could be a challenge to create and sell, Monsale stressed the importance of making sure it’s done from the heart. “When I started, I thought small. I thought it was just a new hobby of mine and did not see a bigger picture that it can grow. But today’s view is different—we have already sold thousands of candles, and we’re very thankful to everyone who supported us since the very first day.”