A British Founder Going to Protect his Brand’s Authenticity

Client: Yep Kitchen — Brand specializing in Chinese sauces

Project Goal: Document the founder’s sourcing journey to build customer trust and reinforce brand authenticity

Location: Chengdu, Sichuan

My Role: Photographer/Visual Storyteller

Yep Kitchen is a British brand specializing in Chinese sauces, especially Sichuan flavours. And Thomas, the founder of this brand, while rapidly expanding on the local market, faced skepticism regarding the authenticity of their product. He needed an irrefutable visual evidence of his commitment, knowledge, and deep connection to both his suppliers and the local food culture. My job was to help him.

My plan consisted of 2 main parts.

PART ONE

We left Chengdu to visit Yep’s chili and peppercorn suppliers. There I had a challenge to capture: 1) details of the production; 2) Tom’s interaction with it, including the workers, and 3) helping him to get some useful clips for his social media, without slowing down the process of his exploration.

To accomplish the first 2 I used my full-frame camera, Sony A7R5 (with a huge 61mpx sensor), a portable Sony G lens ( 24-50mm 2.8). I also kept my Godox V1 flash ready for some difficult indoor scenarios. This lightweight setup allowed me to move fast, I could adjust quickly, and it kept the events around me almost uninterrupted.

For the clips, I used a combo of an iPhone Pro, DJI wireless mics, and a portable LED. Thanks to this set-up, Thomas got plenty of clean videos for his social media, despite the noise and poor lighting of the factory halls.

PART TWO

I guided Tom through some authentic gastronomy gems of Chengdu, the local market, where we could chat with spice sellers and owners of old food establishments. We recorded impactful vertical clips here, so again iPhone + wireless mics. And had a great local meal.

IMPACT

My works helped Thomas to gain more confidence when pitching his products to new businesses (including Wholefoods and John Lewis). And ultimately these visuals removed any doubts in brand’s authenticity!