CHERRYSTONE
Cherrystone is a premium culinary photography studio in Lyon, France, founded in 2012 by Jonathan Thevenet. It offers studio photography, on-location reportage, film production, fine art prints, and studio rental for food brands, Michelin-starred restaurants, publishers, and artisans across France and Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLyon, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
CHERRYSTONE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CHERRYSTONE
- Legal name
- SAS CHERRYSTONE
- Website
- https://cherrystone.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cherrystone is a premium culinary photography studio in Lyon, France, founded in 2012 by Jonathan Thevenet. It offers studio photography, on-location reportage, film production, fine art prints, and studio rental for food brands, Michelin-starred restaurants, publishers, and artisans across France and Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CHERRYSTONE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Photography Services
- NAICS
- Photographic Services (54192)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle) (MPAAAMAI)
Keywords
Where CHERRYSTONE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lyon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CHERRYSTONE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Photography services (studio & reportage): Fixed-fee photography projects including studio shoots, on-location reportage at restaurants and producers across France, and macro photography. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based. Services span product photography, advertising campaigns, cocktail and drink photography, and recipe photography.
- Culinary video & film production: Custom video production including brand films, product launches, and documentary-style reports. Post-production is done internally on DaVinci Resolve. Delivered in formats adapted for website, social media, and broadcast.
- Studio rental (L'Atelier): Hourly/daily rental of the 140 m² equipped studio to photographers, videographers, and content creators. Includes professional kitchen, styling props (1500+ references), LED and flash lighting. Rented as bare studio or with equipment/accompaniment add-ons. Discounted rates for multi-day bookings.
- Art prints (tirages d'art): Sale of limited-edition, numbered and signed fine art prints on Fine Art paper with certificate of authenticity. Includes series such as Lyonnaiseries, 'Like a fish out of water' (seafood), and award-winning series from the FIPC.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Studio nu (bare studio rental) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional lighting option |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kitchen & styling option |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Technical accompaniment option |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Formule complète (complete formula) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
CHERRYSTONE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CHERRYSTONE is a Lyon-based culinary photography studio that produces premium still photography and video content for food and beverage brands, chefs, restaurants, and advertising agencies. The studio also offers studio rental and limited-edition fine art prints tied to its culinary imagery.
Product overview
Cherrystone is a premium culinary photography studio based in Lyon, France, founded in 2012 by Jonathan Thevenet. The studio operates as a single integrated offering organized around five core services: Studio photography (scenography, packshots, advertising, cocktails, macro textures), Reportage (on-location culinary photography across France), Films (culinary video production), Artistic photography (fine art prints on Fine Art paper), and L'Atelier (studio rental). The studio also maintains Le Carnet, a blog chronicling projects and techniques. All services are anchored by a 140 m² equipped studio with professional kitchen, 1500+ styling references, and a dedicated post-production space.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Culinary Photography Bespoke still-image shoots of dishes, ingredients, and culinary subjects for F&B brands, chefs, restaurants, and agencies, produced in the Lyon studio.
- Culinary Video Production Video content creation for food and beverage clients, including campaign films, recipe and storytelling pieces, and branded culinary video.
- Studio Rental Rental of the Lyon photography studio space and equipment for client-led productions.
- Fine Art Prints Limited-edition fine art prints derived from the studio's culinary photography, sold to collectors and design clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- Grand Prix winner at the Festival International de la Photographie Culinaire in 2019, 2021 (Anatomie d'un sentiment), and 2023 (Du Grain au Pain)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CHERRYSTONE
Customer profileNamed customers30 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CHERRYSTONE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CHERRYSTONE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Marion GuillemardcoreMarion Guillemard is a culinary stylist trained at the Beaux-Arts who collaborates with Cherrystone on recipe creation and food styling for client projects. She co-created the nine product mood boards for Vitteaut-Alberti and works with the studio on recipe concept development as part of the 8-step studio methodology.
- François Vermeere-MerlencoreCulinary stylist who co-created the award-winning 'Anatomie d'un sentiment' series with Jonathan Thevenet, which won Grand Prix and Grand Prix des Ambassadeurs du Produit at the FIPC 2021.
- Aurélie JeannetteminorPhotographer who worked in partnership with Jonathan Thevenet on the 6-month production of the 700-page 'Institut Paul Bocuse — L'école de l'excellence culinaire' book for Larousse, producing 1800 step-by-step photographs and 70 recipe photos.
- Festival International de la Photographie Culinaire (FIPC)coreThe FIPC is the premier international culinary photography festival where Jonathan Thevenet's work has been awarded Grand Prix in 2019, 2021, and 2023. The festival and its president Jean-Pierre 'PJ' Stéfan are credited with promoting culinary photography as an art form in France and internationally.
- Agences (various)minorVarious communication agencies act as intermediaries bringing food photography briefs to Cherrystone. Referenced agencies include Agence Monet & Associés (Saint-Agaune), Agence Fantastic (ACCRO), and Agence Ceetadel (La Vie Claire).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CHERRYSTONE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Photocuisine: Photocuisine is a France-based food photography agency representing a roster of culinary photographers and food stylists. It is comparable to Cherrystone as a French culinary imagery specialist serving brands, publishers, and restaurants through a similar photographer-led delivery model.
- Andrew Scrivani: Andrew Scrivani is a New York Times food photographer and cookbook shooter with deep editorial and brand work. Comparable to Cherrystone as a high-end editorial culinary photographer combining studio product work, restaurant reportage, and cookbook commissions.
- David Loftus Photography: David Loftus is an internationally renowned celebrity food photographer (long-time collaborator with Jamie Oliver and major cookbook publishers). He is comparable to Cherrystone as a solo, award-grade food photographer serving global cookbook and brand clients with a distinctive personal artistic style.
- Bjorn Wallander: Bjorn Wallander is a Swedish food photographer specializing in cookbooks, editorial, and product imagery for brands. Comparable to Cherrystone as a European food photographer serving cookbook publishers and premium food brands with studio-driven shoots.
- Petrina Tinslay: Petrina Tinslay is an Australia/UK-based food and lifestyle photographer known for cookbook and brand campaigns. Comparable to Cherrystone as an internationally operating culinary photographer working across editorial, packaged goods, and hospitality brands.
Broad incumbents
- Shutterstock Food: Shutterstock hosts one of the largest food and beverage stock photography libraries and offers custom content services. Comparable to Cherrystone in serving food brand imagery needs, but competing primarily on price-per-image licensing rather than bespoke premium commissions.
- Getty Images Food Collection: Getty Images operates a large food and beverage stock imagery collection alongside assignment photography services. Comparable to Cherrystone as a commercial food imagery provider, but at massively broader scale and via a stock licensing model rather than bespoke studio commissions.
Emerging players
- Bon Appétit Studios: Bon Appétit Studios is the in-house branded content and video studio of Condé Nast's Bon Appétit. Comparable to Cherrystone as a culinary visual content producer serving food brands and agencies, though operating as a publisher-owned entity rather than an independent photographer studio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
CHERRYSTONE social profiles
Digital presenceCHERRYSTONE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CHERRYSTONE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CHERRYSTONE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CHERRYSTONE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CHERRYSTONE
What does CHERRYSTONE do?
CHERRYSTONE is a Lyon-based culinary photography studio that produces premium still photography and video content for food and beverage brands, chefs, restaurants, and advertising agencies. The studio also offers studio rental and limited-edition fine art prints tied to its culinary imagery.
Is CHERRYSTONE a public or private company?
CHERRYSTONE is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CHERRYSTONE founded?
CHERRYSTONE was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CHERRYSTONE based?
CHERRYSTONE is headquartered in Lyon, France, in the Europe region.
How does CHERRYSTONE make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Photography services (studio & reportage) is the primary driver. The others are culinary video & film production, studio rental (L'Atelier) and art prints (tirages d'art).
Who are CHERRYSTONE's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Photocuisine, Andrew Scrivani, David Loftus Photography, Bjorn Wallander and Petrina Tinslay. Broad incumbents are Shutterstock Food and Getty Images Food Collection. Bon Appétit Studios is listed as an emerging player.
Does CHERRYSTONE have an API?
No public API is recorded for CHERRYSTONE.
What industry is CHERRYSTONE in?
CHERRYSTONE's product category is Commercial Photography Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAMAI, Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle). Its NAICS code is 54192 and its SIC code is 7330.