Where Does Our Food Come From?
It’s a question many of us rarely stop to consider.
Where does our food actually come from?
For most people, fresh produce simply appears on supermarket shelves, ready to be picked up and taken home. But behind that everyday convenience is a highly sophisticated, carefully managed world of modern agriculture.
For this shoot, JL Creative photographer Juliet Lemon was behind the camera at Thanet Earth, capturing the story of food production and drawing on over a decade of working with Fresca Group across the UK and internationally.
Welcome to Thanet Earth in Birchington, Kent.
Kent: The Garden of England
Before stepping inside the glasshouses, it’s worth understanding the setting.
Located in the southeast of England, Kent is often referred to as “The Garden of England” thanks to its rich agricultural heritage, fertile land and favourable climate. The region has long been associated with fruit growing, farming and food production, supplying produce across the UK for generations.
Thanet, situated on the northeastern tip of Kent, brings a modern evolution to that legacy. Here, traditional farming meets cutting-edge innovation.
Positioned close to key transport routes and coastal access points, Thanet Earth is perfectly located to support efficient distribution across the UK, helping ensure that fresh produce reaches supermarket shelves quickly and reliably.
Stepping Inside Thanet Earth
Then you step inside, and everything shifts.
Spanning over 220 acres, Thanet Earth is the largest greenhouse complex in the UK, producing large volumes of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers for major UK retailers including Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s.
The scale is immediate. Expansive glasshouses stretch as far as the eye can see. Rows of crops grow in carefully controlled conditions, supported by advanced systems designed to optimise quality, consistency and yield.
From a photography perspective, it’s a visually powerful environment. Clean lines, repetition and height create a strong sense of structure, while natural light filtering through the glass roofs gives the space a bright, fresh and vibrant feel.
A Long-Term Partnership with Fresca & Thanet Earth
This wasn’t a one-off visit.
JL Creative has been working with Fresca Group and its subsidiaries, including Thanet Earth, for over a decade. That relationship has taken me across multiple locations and projects, both in the UK and internationally.
Assignments have included photographing:
• Thanet Earth in Birchington, Kent
• operations at Paddock Wood and other UK growing sites
• supply and logistics at Southampton Docks
• international industry events such as Fruit Logistica in Berlin
• growing environments in Murcia, Spain
• banana production in Colombia with Banafrut, including Fairtrade projects
It’s a body of work that reflects not just the scale of Fresca’s operations, but the trust that’s been built over many years of collaboration.
Planning the Shoot: From Brief to Story
Like most projects, the real work starts long before the camera comes out.
Everything begins with understanding how the images will be used. Whether it’s for marketing campaigns, website updates, internal communications or stakeholder reporting, that context shapes the entire shoot.
From there, it’s about identifying the story.
Working closely with marketing managers, we map out:
• the growing journey
• the people behind the process
• the operational flow from greenhouse to packhouse
• the key visual moments that represent the business
This level of preparation ensures the photography isn’t just visually strong. It is also purposeful and aligned with the wider goals of the business.
From Seed to Shelf
Once you’re on site, the story begins to unfold in layers.
Inside the glasshouses, crops are carefully nurtured in optimal conditions. Tomatoes grow vertically along structured systems, producing vibrant red fruit against rich green foliage. Peppers, in yellow, green and orange varieties, bring colour and variation to the space.
But the story doesn’t stop there.
It continues into the packhouse, where another level of precision takes over. Here, teams and machinery work together to:
• sort and prepare produce
• ensure consistent quality
• package items for retail
• organise distribution
There’s also a strong focus on quality control, including:
• taste testing
• sweetness checks
• visual inspection
• technical measurement
All of this ensures the produce not only looks good, but meets the exacting standards required for supermarket shelves.
Sustainable Farming in Action
What’s happening here isn’t just about scale. It is also about responsibility.
Thanet Earth represents a forward-thinking approach to sustainable farming, with initiatives including:
• rainwater harvesting from glasshouse roofs
• computer-controlled climate systems
• efficient resource use to minimise waste
These technologies allow crops to be grown year-round in a controlled environment, reducing reliance on imports and lowering food miles.
From a storytelling perspective, that balance between sustainability and innovation is incredibly powerful.
Recognition for Innovation and Sustainability
It’s always interesting to see how the work happening behind the scenes is recognised more widely across the industry.
Thanet Earth has recently received a number of awards that reflect both the scale of its operations and its forward-thinking approach to food production.
At the Festival of Fresh Awards, the business was named Retail Supplier of the Year 2025, recognising not only its continued investment and growth, but also the strength of its partnerships and the people behind the operation.
Alongside this, Thanet Earth was also awarded the Net Zero Impact Award at the FPJ Awards in London, highlighting its commitment to sustainability and long-term environmental responsibility.
With over £12 million invested into initiatives designed to reduce emissions and improve efficiency, from renewable energy generation to advanced LED lighting systems within the glasshouses, it’s clear that sustainability here isn’t just a concept. It’s something actively being built into the way the business operates every day.
For me, as a photographer, this adds another layer to the story.
It’s not just about documenting how food is grown at scale, but capturing a business that is continually evolving, innovating and setting benchmarks within the industry.
The People Behind It All
But beyond the technology and systems, it’s the people who really bring everything to life.
The growers, the pickers, the packhouse teams and the quality control specialists. These are the individuals who ensure that the food reaching supermarket shelves meets the highest possible standards.
There’s a real pride in what they do.
From carefully tending crops within the glasshouses to working with precision in the packhouse, their work requires focus, care and consistency. These are the moments that matter most to capture.
I always take time to connect with people on site, understanding their role, their routine and their contribution to the bigger picture. Behind every perfectly packed punnet of tomatoes is a chain of human effort, skill and attention to detail.
Photographing the Environment
From a photography perspective, this is an incredibly rich environment to work in.
It’s not just about what’s being grown. It’s about how it looks and feels.
I’m always thinking about:
• composition
• colour
• light
• texture
• detail
Using professional Canon camera systems and fast prime lenses, I often shoot with a shallow depth of field to draw attention to specific details, allowing textures and colours to stand out with clarity.
Whether it’s the rich red of a tomato, the gloss of a pepper or the repeating lines of the glasshouse structure, the aim is always the same.
To create imagery that feels vibrant, tactile and visually engaging.
From Greenhouse to Plate
For me, this kind of work connects to a much bigger story.
Before ingredients reach the kitchen.
Before they are transformed by chefs.
Before they are plated, served and enjoyed.
This is where it all begins.
Alongside my work in agriculture, I’ve also photographed food in a wide range of settings, from Michelin-starred kitchens to international food events and creative culinary environments.
What makes Thanet Earth so special is that it connects directly to that wider world of food. It brings the story full circle, from the moment something is grown to the moment it is experienced.
A Royal Visit to Thanet Earth
Some moments naturally stand out.
One of those was photographing a visit from HRH The Duke of Kent. The visit highlighted both the innovation behind the site and its role within the wider UK food system.
Photographing occasions like this requires a calm, observant approach, capturing key moments naturally without interrupting the flow of the visit.
A Documentary Approach to Corporate Photography
Across all of this, my approach stays consistent.
I photograph in a documentary style, capturing real processes, natural interactions and genuine moments as they happen.
The aim is always to create imagery that feels authentic and true to the environment. Nothing staged. Nothing forced.
Just an honest reflection of the work being done.
Seeing the Work in the Real World
One of the most rewarding parts of projects like this comes afterwards.
It’s seeing how the images are actually used, across websites, marketing materials and internal communications. They are often displayed at scale too, as large-format prints within physical spaces.
Seeing the work brought to life in this way is always a highlight. It shows how photography becomes a long-term asset, supporting communication across both digital and physical platforms.
Why Stories Like This Matter
Projects like this are about more than just photography.
They help tell an important story about where our food comes from, how it is produced and the people behind it.
And in a world where so much happens behind the scenes, that visibility matters.
Corporate & Industrial Photography in Kent and Beyond
This is a big part of the work that JL Creative do.
Based in London, the team work across Kent, the UK and internationally, capturing:
• large-scale operations
• agricultural and industrial environments
• sustainability initiatives
• corporate storytelling
Each project is approached with clarity, professionalism and a strong sense of purpose.
Let’s Work Together
If your business operates within agriculture, sustainability or large-scale production, and you are looking for photography that genuinely tells your story, we would love to hear more about what you are planning.
0 Comments