Lights, camera, lettuce celebrate! Sydney Markets’ Fresh Awards have wrapped for another year. And, just like last year’s edition the 2025 ceremony brought the crispest competition, the juiciest wins, and a whole lot of local flavour.
Returning for its tenth year – and coinciding with 50 year celebrations of the opening of Paddy’s markets – the Fresh Awards rolled out the (green) carpet for the NSW and ACT’s finest florists, greengrocers, growers, providores, wholesalers, Paddy’s Markets traders – and even fresh content creators. Think the Oscars, but with more veggies.
With beloved broadcaster Chris Bath back at the mic as MC, the event was a vibrant celebration of the businesses who feed, flower and fuel our communities. Hosted by Sydney Markets and backed by sponsors like Toyota Material Handling, Markets Club, and Zupply, the awards crowned 22 winners who stood out for excellence, innovation, and good old-fashioned service.
D Fresh Produce (Produce Grower of the Year), East Coast Wildflowers (Flower Grower of the Year), The Little Garden (Florist of the Year), Parisi (Providore of the Year), Parisi’s Food Hall (Best Large Business Greengrocer), and Vanilla Grove (Paddy’s People’s Choice Retail Flemington) all pulled off back-to-back wins. And Lemdell, walked away with Wholesaler of the Year awards for the third year running. Talk about produce royalty.
The judging wasn’t just based on shiny apples and perfect petals – winners were put through their paces with mystery shoppers and expert panels assessing everything from presentation and product knowledge to freshness, creativity, and customer service. If your local market feels like a five-star experience, chances are one of these finalists is behind it.
A standout this year was QE Foodstores, who not only took home Best Small Business for their Camperdown store, but also scooped the ultimate prize: Greengrocer of the Year for their Randwick location. Menai Top of the Crop claimed Best Medium Business, while Grima Bros Wholesale Produce in Gregory Hills nabbed Best Extra-Large Business – proving no matter the size, quality always wins.
On the floral side of things, Shoalhaven Flowers (Retail Presentation), Vanessa Pringle Floral Designs (Service Excellence), and Brilliant Blooms (Merchandising and Branding) impressed with their eye-catching stems and petal-perfect setups. Christine & Rose Flowers was crowned best Non-Retail Studio Florist, while The Little Garden bloomed to the top once again as Florist of the Year.
And, while competition was tough among the rising stars of the digital domain, The 2025 Fresh Content Creator award went to Nipun Liyanapathirana – aka @nipcooks – whose mouthwatering reels and recipes clearly hit the sweet spot between scrollable and seasonal.
Finally, the ever-popular Paddy’s People’s Choice Awards gave the public their say. Here, Sydney Souvenirs and Go Nuts Australia claimed top honours in Haymarket, while Vanilla Grove and Bella’s Bees earned the crowd favourite titles in Flemington.
Dale Doonan, Acting CEO of Sydney Markets Limited, summed it up perfectly: “The Fresh Awards are a moment to shine a spotlight on those who go above and beyond in quality, service and creativity… Our winners join a long-standing history of excellence in our Markets community who embody pride and purpose in what they do.”
It’s this dedication – from the early morning pickers to the florists arranging beauty by the stem – that keeps our markets thriving. As Sydney Markets continues to champion over 20,000 growers and 2,000+ businesses, the Fresh Awards remain a heartfelt (and hunger-inducing) reminder that behind every perfect punnet or bunch of blooms is a person putting in the hard yards.
Want to see the full list of winners? Head to www.freshawards.com.au.