LUXE CLEAN-BURNING CANDLES HANDMADE IN HAWAII
Though Sherrisa Keolanui is a full-time mom to her two-year-old son and a full-time student at the community college, she somehow finds time to produce a beautiful lifestyle brand that gives back to the community.
Sherrisa launched MONA, the Hawaiian-owned luxury candle collection with an intention to create a cleaner environment for her son. Rather than source from China in order to reach a higher profit margin on a clean-burning candle, Sherrisa stuck to her roots and decided it was more important to give back to her own community. “I told myself that I needed to do this intentionally or not at all,” she says.
The collection includes 12-ounce candles and wax refills in three coveted signature scents: Farmers Market, a refreshing mix of citrus like mandarin, yuzu and lemon with herby notes of basil and peach; Grounding, a warm aroma with notes of sandalwood, cedar, frankincense and topped with jasmine petals; and Sunrise, a romantic scent of creamy coconut and vanilla, toasted almond, sugar and tuberose.
A portion of the proceeds from every candle sale is donated to various Hawaiian organizations. “Many businesses profit off of Hawaiian culture, using our language, patterns, stories, etc., and don’t give back to the people. And unfortunately, of all the businesses here in the islands, only about 10-percent are Hawaiian owned,” Sherrisa explains. She’s dedicated to changing that.
Sherrisa was born and raised in Pu‘uloa, Oahu (aka Pearl Harbor), but is now based in Kamuela, on Hawaii Island. The meaning behind the brand’s name reflects Sherrisa’s passion for her home and culture. MONA is based off the word momona, which means fruitful, fat, or rich in soil. “Our rich island home has sustained and provided for us all these years, I want this business to be fruitful and giving and rooted in sustainability and community.”
With the planet also in mind, MONA candles are made in high-quality ceramic vessels that can be refilled over and over again, or even just as a decorative piece—they’re that beautiful. Each candle begins production in Hualalai, where a talented artist creates the vessels in his in-home ceramic studio. Then, Sherrisa mixes and hand pours each candle using beeswax from a sustainable bee farm in Puna (and other ingredients made in the U.S.). The beautiful labels are printed in Honolulu.