Thanet Earth 3.33

Thanet Earth is a large industrial agriculture / plant factory project consortium in the United Kingdom. Located on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, it is the largest greenhouse complex in the UK, covering 90 hectares, or 220acre of land. The glasshouses produce approximately 225 million tomatoes, 16 million peppers and 13 million cucumbers a year, equal to roughly 12, 11 and 8 per cent respectively of Britain’s entire annual production of those salad ingredients. Thanet Earth's main customers are Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S and agency HRGOFood productionThe complex began producing in October 2008. Cucumbers and peppers are picked continuously from February to October, tomatoes harvested every day of the week, 52 weeks a year. The UK's largest privately owned fresh produce supplier, Fresca Group Ltd, has a 50% stake in the trading business that sells all the crops grown at the site, Thanet Earth Marketing Limited. The remaining 50% of Thanet Earth Marketing Limited is owned by three salad growing specialist companies who each own and operate a glasshouse at the site – Kaaij Greenhouses UK, Rainbow Growers and a six hectare glasshouse owned by A&A. Planning permission exists for a further 4 greenhouses on the site, making 7 in total, in time for planting vine tomatoes in January 2013 they built an additional 8 ha of greenhouses