2026 Winners - Zesty Lemons
From Circus-Inspired Design to Gift of the Year Glory: Meet Zesty Lemons London
When Zesty Lemons London launched their Carnival Candle Collection, they set out to create something more than just a candle. Inspired by the nostalgic charm of vintage circus tents and designed with reuse at its heart, the collection combines striking design, premium home fragrance, and a sustainable second life long after the candle has burned away.
We caught up with the team to discuss their Gift of the Year win, the inspiration behind their award-winning collection, and what exciting plans lie ahead for the brand.
How does it feel to be a Gift of the Year winner?
It’s a pinch me moment for us all! To have the Carnival Candle Collection recognised by industry experts, alongside such incredible brands is a huge honour. It feels like a fantastic validation of all the hard work, late nights, and passion we pour into this specific range as a small business.
What does this recognition mean for your business?
It’s a massive milestone for us. Beyond the prestige, it gives us a wonderful platform to share our story with a wider audience and reinforces our commitment to creating high-quality, design-led home fragrance that can be repurposed after use. The Carnival Collection is such a firm favourite amongst our customers, and the reusable jars continue to bring joy to people's homes long after the candle has burned out.
Tell us the story behind your winning product.
The Carnival Collection was born from a desire to create a home fragrance that was just as much a piece of home decor as it was a scent. We wanted to capture a sense of nostalgia and playfulness, which led us to the striped ceramic vessel design - inspired by the charm of a classic circus tent. We wanted every detail, from the lid to the curated scents, to stand out in style and personality.
What makes it stand out in the market?
It’s the dual-purpose nature of the product. Many people look for home fragrance that smells great, but our customers love that when the candle is finished, they are left with a beautiful, reusable ceramic vessel. The vibrant design is a conversation starter, standing out on a shelf as much as it does for its fragrance throw. But most importantly, it’s a perfect gift - we’ve combined that premium, design-led aesthetic with a highly accessible price point and stunning, ready-to-give packaging, making it the ultimate gift that feels thoughtful and luxurious.
How did your business begin?
Zesty Lemons London started as a creative outlet between our founders Jack and Sally, combining our different skill sets in business and design with the goal to move away from the "throwaway" culture common in the home fragrance sector.
We wanted to create products that were inherently circular, focusing on design-led vessels that were functional and stylish enough to be reused as decor or storage long after the candle was gone, and we wanted to do it at an accessible price point in the gift industry.
Over the past three years, we’ve worked to pair that design-led vision and roll it out to wholesale retailers as the perfect gift. Scaling as quickly as we have - while remaining a small, agile team - has been a steep learning curve, but it’s been incredibly rewarding. We’ve been fortunate to build a fantastic customer base that spans from loyal, long-standing independent retailers to major high-street names. That balance of high-volume wholesale and strong, personal retail partnerships is really the foundation of how we continue to operate and grow today.
What has been your biggest milestone so far?
While winning this award is up there, our biggest milestone was successfully launching into Anthropologie with the Carnival Collection at the beginning of the year; working with Anthropologie was a key goal for our founder and Creative Director since day one, so seeing that come to fruition felt like a real turning point for the business. Beyond that, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see our products featured in various gift guides on social media, including a feature on Fleur De Force’s YouTube channel - as an industry OG, having her stamp of approval was a big pat on the back for the team!
What’s next for your brand?
We are constantly looking ahead - the design process never stops here. 2026 saw the expansion of our creative footprint with the launch of our newest brand, Matchbook Creative, which now sits proudly within the Zesty Lemons London portfolio, using our design expertise and established supply chain to create complementary matches alongside our Home Fragrance collections. Alongside this new venture, we have some incredibly exciting collaborations in the pipeline that we can’t wait to reveal, and we’re already developing new concepts that push our design-led approach even further. We love keeping our community guessing, so stay tuned as we iterate and adapt - there is plenty more to come!
Find out more from Zesty Lemons here - https://www.zestylemons.co.uk/
