Our Founding Artisan

For Managing Director Pascal Menezes, candy isn't just a sweet treat – it's an art form. It's a passion he's dedicated his life to and one he proudly shares with his wife, Nina.

Growing up on a farm near Hobart, Tasmania, Pascal developed an appreciation for quality ingredients, craftsmanship and creating things by hand. Those values still shape every batch of candy we make today.

Pascal's love of creating started young.

"It stems back to being a farm kid stuck inside on all those rainy days in Tassie. I discovered a fascination with opening a cookbook and bringing a recipe to life. It really was captivating."

More than 20 years later, that same passion has helped establish Pascal as one of Australia's leading artisan candy makers. Along the way, he's licensed his candy-making techniques to fellow artisans in Japan, China, Korea, Kuwait, Spain and the Netherlands.

These days, when the weather turns rainy, you'll often find Pascal sharing that same passion in the kitchen with his own son and daughter.

Our Products

Since 2006, we've been handcrafting premium confectionery using traditional candy-making techniques while embracing modern ideas like 3D printing, edible imagery, moulding and casting to create truly unique treats.

Our range includes handcrafted rock candy, personalised lollipops, artisan candy drops, pebbles, honeycomb, jelly cubes, wedding candy, corporate confectionery and custom creations for every occasion.

Whether you're shopping for yourself, planning a wedding, organising a corporate event or looking for the perfect personalised gift, our goal is simple – to help people of all ages rediscover that little bit of childlike wonder.

We proudly create handcrafted confectionery for:

Our Name

Established in 2006, The Red Balloon Candy Artisans has been creating handcrafted confectionery for over 20 years.

Our name comes from the classic French children's story Pascal & The Red Balloon, which inspired Pascal's vision for the business. As it happens, it's also the story that inspired his parents when choosing his name.

The Red Balloon Candy Artisans were located near Prahran Town Hall

Our Retail Store

For more than 14 years, we welcomed customers through the doors of our retail store in Prahran, Victoria.

In 2020, we made the difficult decision to close our physical store and focus entirely on our online business. While it wasn't an easy choice, it has allowed us to continue doing what we love while sharing our handcrafted confectionery with customers around the world.

Today

Today, The Red Balloon Candy Artisans is proudly Australian owned, family run and handcrafts every batch right here in Melbourne, sharing our confectionery with customers around the world.

Twenty years on, our passion for artisan confectionery is as strong as ever. We're always exploring new ideas while staying true to the traditional techniques that made us who we are.

Thank you for supporting our small family business. Every order means the world to us, and we're honoured to be part of so many special celebrations.

Why Choose The Red Balloon Candy Artisans?

For more than 20 years, we've been creating handcrafted confectionery that's made to bring smiles, spark nostalgia and help celebrate life's special moments. Here's why thousands of customers continue to choose us:

  • Over 20 years of experience – Handcrafting artisan confectionery since 2006.
  • Australian owned & family run – A small Melbourne business built on passion, creativity and quality.
  • Handcrafted in Melbourne – Every batch is carefully made using traditional candy-making techniques.
  • Extensive vegan-friendly range – A huge selection of handcrafted confectionery made with vegan-friendly ingredients.
  • Personalised candy specialists – From names and logos to custom designs, we create memorable confectionery for weddings, birthdays and special occasions.
  • Trusted by businesses worldwide – We create custom branded confectionery for corporate events, product launches, promotions and gifts.
  • Worldwide shipping – We carefully pack and ship our handcrafted confectionery to customers around the globe.

Whether you're celebrating a wedding, birthday, corporate event or simply treating yourself, we're passionate about creating confectionery that's every bit as memorable as the occasion itself.

Video courtesy of Pixel3 Video Production.