Mastronardi funds AppHarvest to grow greens, expand farms in Appalachia
Indoor farm developer and operator AppHarvest is opening a 15-acre autonomous, indoor salad greens farm in Berea, Ky., featuring a touchless growing system with robotic harvesting. This new farm will supply marketing partner Mastronardi’s Produce's “Queen of Greens” washed-and-ready-to-eat packaged salad brand.
To construct the farm, AppHarvest Berea secured a $30 million loan from Mastronardi Produce, according to a news release. AppHarvest expects to operate a fully developed, four-farm network in Appalachia by end of year, with a 30-acre Somerset berry farm expected to begin commercial shipments soon. Once completed, AppHarvest’s four-farm network will include 165 acres of controlled environment agriculture. AppHarvest currently operates a 60-acre tomato farm in Morehead, Ky., the release said.
“Our top customers increasingly request CEA-grown produce for its reliable quantity and consistent quality — especially in terms of flavor, texture, color and shelf life — and its more sustainable growing methods,” Mastronadi Produce CEO Paul Mastronardi said in the release. “This deeper relationship with AppHarvest positions us to grow together efficiently to meet increasing demand by expanding our local footprint and delivering on our long-standing ‘fresh from the farm’ commitment to customers.”
The AppHarvest Berea CEA facility officially opened on Oct. 26, 2022, as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb used handheld harvesters to cut down a strip of crispy and juicy greens grown in the farm’s touchless system. The farm is opening in a phased approach, beginning with 5 acres and bringing on additional productive acreage over time. AppHarvest began first commercial shipments of salad greens in early October.
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At 15-acres — or nearly 654,000 square feet — the AppHarvest Berea farm is expected to be a leading high-tech indoor farm for autonomously harvested salad greens with a touchless growing system, according to the release. The hands-off production system is automated from pre-seeding to packaging and includes on-site washing to support food safety and post-harvest efficiency for washed-and-ready-to-eat salad packs.
The farm is designed to grow about 35 million lettuce plants at a time, which go from seed to maturity in about three to four weeks depending on variety, according to the release.
“AppHarvest is deepening its relationship with Mastronardi Produce under the ‘Queen of Greens’ packaged salad brand,” Webb said in the release. “Working closely with Mastronardi, the AppHarvest team has set new precedents in the CEA sector by quadrupling our number of farms in such a short time. With the Berea opening, we now have two farms shipping produce to national customers, and our 30-acre Somerset berry facility also is expected to ship in the next few weeks. We expect Morehead to start its third harvest and to start planting our 60-acre Richmond tomato farm in November.”
The AppHarvest Berea growing environment uses sunshine and rainwater and includes automated lighting, humidity and temperature controls. The farm employs a closed-loop irrigation system, which enables expected water savings of up to 90% compared to open-field farming, and allows for precision dosing of nutrients, resulting in less fertilizer compared to open-field farming while avoiding pollution from agricultural runoff, according to the release.
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The closed-loop system also supports in integrated pest management — using beneficial insects and supporting early pest detection and prevention — to lessen dependence on chemical pesticides, the release said. The adaptive spacing design of the troughs in the touchless growing system is designed to minimize any potential pest exposure.
According to AppHarvest, the packaged salad market in North America was estimated to be about $5.9 billion in 2021 and growing. As traditional lettuce-producing areas in California and Arizona experience ongoing drought and other severe weather conditions wreak havoc on crop yields, AppHarvest thinks its CEA approach producing more predictable yields with less water and other resources will be critical in providing fresh fruits and vegetables that are affordable.
