Purpose of work: How AppHarvest helps "feed the future" from the heart of Appalachia

High-tech science that promotes natural processes, plus a bushel of inspiration, are behind the success of AppHarvest in Eastern Kentucky. The agritech company is growing fresh, nutritious agricultural products on a series of large sustainable indoor farms in the area, whose economy has traditionally relied on coal.

The company’s home in Appalachia is less than a day’s drive from 70% of the U.S. population, which means that its products are mature and nutritious, and are usually shipped directly to Wal-Mart, Kroger and Costco stores within a day . This reduces transportation fuel by up to 80%.

In large indoor farms, AppHarvest combines innovative technology with natural resources and agricultural expertise to "grow more with less money," CEO Jonathan Weber told us first.

Less means 90% less water (through recycled rainwater). This means the annual (climate adaptability) yield through the greenhouse. This means that there are no toxic chemicals in the local ecosystem, and insects such as bees keep plants healthy and prosperous. There is no agricultural runoff. There is much less food waste.

AppHarvest utilizes sophisticated software, sensors and humidity control, nanobubble technology and hybrid LED high-pressure sodium lamps, all of which are related to machine learning programs that can create ideal growth conditions throughout the year. Its 60-acre flagship glass greenhouse produces about 30 times more food per acre than traditional agriculture-all non-GMO and chemical-free products. The company is growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green leafy vegetables, herbs and berries.

Steady roots in coal township

Eager to expand its business and feed the world, AppHarvest is still firmly rooted in Appalachia, the center of the coal economy (Weber's own great-grandfather died in the mine). The company intends to build an agricultural science and technology capital in the region starting from the $1 billion it has already invested.

Webb grew up in Kentucky and founded AppHarvest in 2017 after working in the solar development industry in New York for many years. Sustainable investor Equilibrium Capital provided US$82 million in funding for the company to build its first greenhouse in 2019. The company also completed an independent Series A financing led by the Social and Environmentally Aware ValueAct Spring Fund.

Regarding "operating a company in rural America," Weber said, "We have billionaires trying to fly to other planets with their friends, but we don't even have Americans" to get enough fresh food, jobs, and opportunities. Therefore, the idea is “a local food supply that everyone can get throughout the year,” the company said. Everything is for the progress of mankind and the earth.

At the same time, the company created hundreds of local jobs in a severely depressed market—more than 500 jobs were created during the COVID pandemic alone. Weber lamented that the family base in his fifth congressional district ranked second in terms of national median income and first from the bottom in a happiness survey.

Weber wrote in the company’s 2020 ESG report: “As coal mines are closed and no company replaces them, our leaders have witnessed nearly 30% of our friends and neighbors, including 37% of children, endure poverty. Abba Lacia urgently needs investment from responsible companies to create employment opportunities that prioritize workers."

In fact, the capital market is realizing the opportunities in these areas. In these areas, investment can set sail for all ships. The Series A financing backing AppHarvest is the first investment provided by Revolution's "Rise of the Rest" seed fund, and is at the helm of AOL co-founder Steve Case and Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance.

Weber said that the idea behind the "rest of the rise" is to invest in ideas not just in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. I live in New York. I like New York, but the funds are concentrated in companies in San Francisco, New York and Boston-this is a problem. This is part of the reason for the political differences in the country where we are now. We must figure out how to create an inclusive economy for everyone. So here it is. Doing this here is as important as why we do it. "

Purpose of work: How AppHarvest helps "feed the future" from the heart of Appalachia

"We are in the first round of controlled environment agriculture," Weber said. "We will not have a choice. In the process of climate destruction, we must grow more food with fewer resources.

"We have no choice but to use technology, use infrastructure, build facilities

Mature technology, based on this to create new technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics, but in many cases, steel, glass, lighting have been proven to grow fruits and vegetables "more sustainable than traditional agriculture," Weber said. Reducing the human footprint...We must use technology, we must use infrastructure. Agriculture must become an important part of the solution. "

In fact, Weber believes that during his lifetime, all the fruits and vegetables we eat will grow in a controlled environment, such as AppHarvest's large greenhouse.

"I hope that in 2050, this is not a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, where you can eat fruits or vegetables in nutrient-rich soil," Weber said. "But if we don't repair this ship as soon as possible, we will have no choice. We will have to grow in a controlled environment."

It sounds like a plan. But are AppHarvest products better than what we are used to? How about their garden or organic farm? The company is committed to providing quality flavors-Martha Stewart is on its board of directors-and they say that if your tomatoes are planted a day later rather than a few weeks later and shipped by truck from Mexico, then Naturally it will be better. In the absence of chemicals that are around two points in ordinary supermarket products, automatic is better.

"But I always say that if you can buy organic fruits or vegetables from your grandmother or grandfather's backyard, that's great. That's the best place to go. You should do this," Weber said. "But for mid-winter, late autumn or spring, agricultural products that are produced throughout the year, in a controlled environment, chemical-free, and nutrient-rich" are actually the best. "We can provide plants with exactly what they need in order to fruit and mature in the way we want... We are not manipulating plants, but the environment around them: humidity, lighting, heat control."

Of course, indoor agriculture also benefits the soil. "I call myself a soil loyalist," Weber said. "I am committed to soil as much as anyone. The reality is that we cannot feed 10 billion people and continue to extract nutrients from the soil... We are extracting nutrients from the soil, but it is degrading, not replenishing. We are watering from fresh water. Water is extracted from the layer, and we have not supplemented it."

Webb believes that AppHarvest’s efforts are “in line with organic open-air renewable farmers, but organic open-air renewable farmers will be in trouble... Mathematics will not allow us to reach our goal. If we don’t abuse the soil and degrade it with irritating chemicals, we will not be able to year-round Use soil to feed 10 billion people."

Purpose of work: How AppHarvest helps "feed the future" from the heart of Appalachia

AppHarvest is a registered public welfare company. It was quickly certified as B Corp and is now one of the first publicly traded PBCs.

AppHarvest employees mainly come from underrepresented communities, partly from second chance or fair opportunity employment programs, and cooperate with regional universities to provide employees with free education courses in the evenings and weekends. The company also cooperates with local high schools to impart agricultural knowledge to young people, and uses high-tech container farms to educate students to grow and market leafy green vegetables.

At the same time, it aims to educate the masses, one farmer at a time, one consumer at a time, and one retailer at a time. Weber said: "Seeing these technologies available" to increase our food supply more sustainably, even renewablely, is really irritating. "Lack of leadership, lack of initiative in the private sector, and lack of government leadership to put these solutions in place. But the combination of controlled environment agriculture and renewable energy-the potential to solve energy and food security issues on a global scale -Forget AppHarvest, it is more like a whole industry, and how can we promote this process as quickly as possible in the next 10 years?"

According to Weber, the secret is not necessarily constantly adjusting robots or iterating technology in other ways. "Nature is absolute technology, real technology," Weber said. "We know nothing. We don't even know what nature is. The microorganisms in the soil, the way plants communicate with each other-we know nothing. We are still trying to figure it out."

"Our approach at AppHarvest is to put nature first, try to use technology to support it from behind, and unleash the true potential that nature provides. So, for us, we start with a seed, and we are working hard to start from this seed. To cultivate a plant and simply give the plant what it wants."