Kentucky

Bosch Growers to acquire AppHarvest berry and cucumber farm

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:42:36 GMT

Netherlands-based Bosch Growers is set to acquire AppHarvest’s 30-arce berry and cucumber farm in Somerset, Ky., in a recent auction, the latest entry in the reshuffling of the controlled environment agriculture company’s assets.

As AppHarvest folds operations and navigates through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections, Bosch Growers has emerged alongside others taking over operations at AppHarvest’s four Kentucky-area indoor farm facilities. Mastronardi Produce is poised to secure the Berea facility, and Equilibrium Capital is set to acquire the Morehead and Richmond facilities, pending court approval, with a hearing scheduled for Sept. 6.

The acquisition marks Bosch Growers’ expansion into the U.S. market.

“It’s a huge opportunity, and we’re looking forward tremendously to getting started here,” Bosch Growers’ Wouter van den Bosch said in a statement.

“We are working on the permits for a location on the East Coast, but those are long-term processes. This came along and is a great opportunity for us to get a foothold in the U.S. all at once,” van den Bosch added.

He said he plans to operate the farm in partnership with his brother, Tijmen, in a company called Bosch Berries Kentucky.

Related news: Investors to CEA: The time for profitability is now

“Of course, you would do things differently if you built it yourself, but it’s a nice greenhouse built by Dutch suppliers,” van den Bosch said. “For example, there is already an organization ready for labor that we can use.”

Bosch Growers represents a multigenerational, family-run business with 90 years of growing experience, including growing berries indoors.

“In blackberries, we already see that we can apply the knowledge from the intensive cultivation of peppers. We expect to be able to do the same with strawberries,” van den Bosch said in the statement. “In particular, we see a lot of opportunities in the application of ever-bearers. It is a long cultivation, and that makes it complex; Any mistakes will haunt you until the end of the season. We know that from vegetables, and we want to apply it in the U.S. as well.”

In addition to expanding cultivation, Bosch Growers sees opportunities entering the U.S. market.

Related news: Kroger to expand indoor-grown produce offerings to 1,000 stores

“There is a lot of demand for strawberries, but most of the supply now comes from open cultivation. Moreover, that product is transported by truck. That’s not a strong story from a sustainability perspective either,” van den Bosch said in the statement. “Greenhouse horticulture is a good answer to this, but it is a profession: no plug-and-play. We bring our own knowledge and experience and can rely on the various partners we work with in the Netherlands. That gives us confidence that we can make it a success.”

CEA players secure four AppHarvest farms

As previously reported, as a part of AppHarvest’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy strategic plan, dubbed Project New Leaf, the indoor grower sought to reduce its outstanding liabilities through a debtor-in-possession financing agreement with Equilibrium, the company’s largest secured creditor. The second piece of the company’s strategy included a sell-back agreement of its Berea, Ky., farm to AppHarvest distribution partner Mastronardi Produce or one of its affiliates.

“Pending court approval, we expect to transition the Berea farm to Mastronardi Produce — the company from which we currently lease that farm. We expect Mastronardi to make employment offers to the team in Berea,” Travis Parman, AppHarvest’s chief communications officer, told The Packer in a previously reported statement.

Related news: AeroFarms assets up for auction at Newark farm

Mastronardi awaits court approval on its sale-leaseback deal for AppHarvest’s Berea facility, which was completed in December 2022. Additionally, Equilibrium is slated to acquire the Moreland and Richmond farms, as AppHarvest’s auctions for both facilities were canceled as Equilibrium submitted the only bid — $113 million in credit — for the two farms.

Related AppHarvest coverage

Creditor seeks immediate $47.2M repayment on AppHarvest’s largest farm

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:38:29 GMT

A domino effect of cascading credit issues and financial concerns have been trailing controlled environment agriculture grower, AppHarvest, in recent weeks. The latest financial challenge facing the indoor grower is at the company’s oldest and most productive farm facility in Moreland, Ky.

According to a recent SEC filing, Rabo AgriFinance has demanded repayment from AppHarvest on its $47.2 million loan tied to the company’s Moreland farm facility, claiming AppHarvest defaulted on its credit agreement on July 3. If the two companies cannot come to an agreement, AppHarvest faces foreclosure on the largest farm in its four-farm network.

The recent demand for immediate repayment from Rabo AgriFinance is no surprise, as terms that funded the construction of AppHarvest’s Morehead tomato farm included a cross-default provision in the loan agreement.

Related news: AppHarvest ousts CEO as creditors continue to knock

According to previous public filings, Rabo’s cross-default loan provision allows the lender to request full payment of its loan and begin foreclosure proceedings if AppHarvest were to default on any of its other loans.

The conditions of this cross-default loan provision appear to be unfolding now, as the recent threat of foreclosure for the Moreland farm facility comes on the heels of a recent lease dispute with Mastronardi Produce, creditor and landlord for another AppHarvest farm located in Berea, Ky., and a recent loan default notice from Equilibrium at its farm in Richmond, Ky.

Related news: AppHarvest faces foreclosure of its Richmond tomato farm

In the most recent dispute, Mastronardi Produce disclosed that it planned to terminate AppHarvest’s lease on the property, alleging in a July 11 public filing, that “minimum production volumes” had been violated and reason enough for AppHarvest to vacate the facility.

Triaging mounting financial concerns

The indoor grower has a plan to surmount recent challenges, according to a news release. As part of the plan, AppHarvest recently appointed CEA and produce industry veteran Tony Martin to the position of CEO. Martin reportedly has a strategy for refocusing the company in the years ahead, which he calls “Project New Leaf.”

Project New Leaf’s objective is to focus AppHarvest’s workforce on improving labor efficiency, implementing disciplined close controls, leveraging industry relationships and improving feedback across the organization over the next five years, the release said.

AppHarvest faces foreclosure of its Richmond tomato farm

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 23:13:41 GMT

Indoor grower AppHarvest recently received a default notice from its Richmond, Ky., farm lender, Equilibrium, according to a public filing. If the grower doesn’t reach a resolution soon, the creditor will assume AppHarvest’s Richmond farm facility as collateral.

The foreclosure complaint was filed May 30, giving App Harvest 20 days to respond in court or face a default judgement. AppHarvest’s Richmond farm facility is its second tomato farm, opened in late 2022, and is one of four grow sites in the Kentucky-based indoor farm network.

“We believe that we are in full compliance with the loan terms,” AppHarvest’s Corporate Communication Director Darla Turner told The Packer in a statement. “We are working to resolve the issue directly with Equilibrium, which we believe is based on their misunderstanding of the facts.”

Operations are continuing as normal, Turner added.

The notice states “certain defaults relating to increases in the construction budget and delays in construction made without [the lender’s] approval, the existence of a mechanic’s lien and alleged construction deficiencies,” according to the filing.

The potential foreclosure of the Richmond farm facility could trigger a domino effect for the controlled environment agriculture grower.

A default on AppHarvest’s Richmond farm loan could potentially lead to the foreclosure of other facilities in its four-farm network. Terms that funded the construction of AppHarvest’s Morehead, Ky., tomato farm — the company’s oldest and most productive farm facility — included a loan agreement with Rabo AgriFinance with a cross-default provision.

Potentially, according to previous public filings, this provision would allow Rabo to request full payment of its loan and begin foreclosure proceedings if AppHarvest were to default on any of its other loans, such as the Richmond loan with Equilibrium.

More AppHarvest coverage on The Packer:

Mastronardi funds AppHarvest to grow greens, expand farms in Appalachia (Nov. 3, 2022)
Financial woes surface in investor report, but AppHarvest says it’s ramping up (Nov. 29, 2022)
AppHarvest’s Q1 earnings beat consensus (May 12, 2023)

AppHarvest’s Q1 earnings beat consensus

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:43:03 GMT

Indoor grower AppHarvest recently shared steady gains and higher sales in its operating and financial results for the first quarter of 2023.

This comes as the company works to increase production across its three new farms and implement a new strategic plan with new Chief Operating Officer Tony Martin, according to a news release.

“Under Tony’s leadership, we’re already seeing improved performance in the first quarter with net sales of $13 million,” AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb said in the release. “Tony is focusing on a data-driven approach for optimizing production and driving more efficiency across the four-farm network. I believe Tony’s strong CEA experience will help accelerate our path to profitability.”

AppHarvest’s first-quarter net sales totaled $13 million versus net sales of $5.2 million in the first quarter of 2022 — a more than 250% increase that is nearly 90% of the company’s net sales for full-year 2022, according to the release.

This $7.8 million increase in net sales during the quarter was largely driven by tomato sales from the third harvest season at AppHarvest’s facility in Morehead, Ky., along with the start of operations at other Kentucky locations in Berea, Richmond and Somerset, the company said.

Related news: Financial woes surface in investor report, but AppHarvest says it’s ramping up

January 2023 marked the first time that all facilities in the AppHarvest’s four-farm network were commercially shipping products from an increasingly diversified crop portfolio that included strawberries, salad greens, cucumbers and additional tomatoes, the company said.

According to the release, net sales by crop type included:

Almost $11 million in tomatoes.
More than $1 million in strawberries.
Over $800,000 in salad greens.
Nearly $200,000 in cucumbers.

In line with expectations, the company said it recorded a net loss of $33.6 million in the first quarter of 2023, compared to a prior year net loss of $30.6 million.

Making steady process on strategic plan

Martin, an AppHarvest board member and controlled environment agriculture industry veteran, was appointed COO in January 2023 to optimize production, sales and costs throughout the AppHarvest network.

This year the company has focused on profitability, implementing a strategic plan dubbed “Project New Leaf.”

Martin is working to implement the five-point strategy to focus efforts across all operations with objectives that, according to the release, include:

Further leveraging synergies with its marketing and distribution partner, Mastronardi Produce.
Enabling labor efficiency.
Improving enterprisewide feedback through clear key performance indicators and cross-organization information sharing.
Initiating comprehensive spending reviews.
Aligning team members to milestones outlined in the five-year strategic vision.

Expanding production

In its third season, AppHarvest’s Morehead facility is achieving significant production records in terms of key performance indicators, according to the release. The company said it is applying lessons learned at Morehead to accelerate its operational excellence at each of its new farms, especially at Richmond, where the team has made meaningful progress in labor efficiency, plant health and production.

The Morehead, Somerset and Richmond facilities have successfully completed their food safety audits and have increased the number of direct shipments from each farm, reducing transportation costs and the number of food miles travelled so AppHarvest fruits and vegetables arrive on store shelves fresher and with less waste, according to the release. The Berea farm is currently pursuing its food safety certification.

Operations continue to ramp up with both Berea and Richmond opening on a planned phased approach, and Richmond is expected to be fully planted in the third quarter and start harvesting later in the fourth quarter, the company said.

Financial Outlook

AppHarvest reiterated its full-year 2023 guidance of net sales to be in the range of $40 million to $50 million. The company believes in its ability to be self-sufficient and generate positive operating cash flow over the longer term with the four-farm network, according to the release.

Related news: Mastronardi funds AppHarvest to grow greens, expand farms in Appalachia

With all four farms in the AppHarvest network shipping under a variety of brands for Mastronardi Produce, the company expects to see significant year-over-year net sales increases throughout 2023, and it expects that trend to continue in 2024 as the company leverages more of the farm acreage and works to optimize production.

Mastronardi purchases AppHarvest farm in $127M sale-leaseback deal

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 15:06:30 GMT

Kentucky-based controlled environment agriculture company AppHarvest has finalized a sale-leaseback of its Berea, Ky., indoor leafy greens farm to its marketing and distributing partner, Mastronardi Produce, for just over $127 million, according to a news release.

The sale includes an initial lease rate of 7.5% over 10 years. A portion of the proceeds from the sale-leaseback will repay a $30 million bridge loan from Mastronardi Produce to AppHarvest, along with the first two years of prepaid rent at the Berea farm, according to the release.

Mastronardi Produce markets and distributes AppHarvest’s entire line of produce, which includes leafy greens, along with tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries.

Related news: Financial woes surface in investor report, but AppHarvest says it’s ramping up

At the same time as the sale-leaseback of its Berea farm, AppHarvest has opened a fourth location, a 60-acre high-tech indoor farm in Richmond, Ky., growing Campari brand tomatoes. The first harvest is anticipated in early January.

Half of the Richmond tomato farm currently is planted, with the other half slated to be planted in 2023. The January Campari tomato harvest marks the first time AppHarvest is expected to have commercial shipments delivered from each of its four indoor farms.

“The AppHarvest team has worked relentlessly this year to get the four-farm network operational, and those efforts have paid off with the quadrupling of farms in our network and diversifying our crop set,” AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb said in a news release. “The team is now focused on operations to ramp up production and revenue from the four high-tech farms.”

Related news: Mastronardi funds AppHarvest to grow greens, expand farms in Appalachia

In 2022 alone, AppHarvest has opened two other CEA farms: a 30-acre strawberry and cucumber farm in Somerset, Ky., and a 15-acre leafy green facility in Berea, Ky., according to the release.

AppHarvest is shipping strawberries under the WOW Berries brand and washed-and-ready-to-eat leafy greens under the Queen of Greens brand. In its third growing season, the AppHarvest Morehead farm has further diversified its crop, adding snacking tomatoes sold under the Sunset brand as Flavor Bombs and Sugar Bombs.

Financial woes surface in investor report, but AppHarvest says it's ramping up

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 22:30:11 GMT

Kentucky-based indoor farm operator AppHarvest is heading into its third season of tomato harvest with questions about its financial stability.

SEC filing statements released Nov. 7, along with several key leadership changes, raised concerns with a local Kentucky newspaper. According to the Lexington Herald Leader, AppHarvest is pausing its plan to build a dozen indoor farms to shift focus on turning a profit quickly over the next few years at its three existing farms in Morehead, Berea and Somerset, along with a soon-to-be-operating fourth farm in Richmond. The farms grow tomatoes, leafy greens for salads, and berries.

The SEC investor statement detailed net losses of $83 million in the first nine months of 2022. Coupled with net sales of $10 million and accumulated deficit of $270 million, altogether AppHarvest has spent at least $641 million since 2018, according to public filings.

Related news: Mastronardi funds AppHarvest to grow greens, expand farms in Appalachia

Additionally, recent leadership changes at AppHarvest bolstered concerns. Two executives stepped down from the company in November; former president David Lee “mutually agreed” that he would leave the company but stay on as a member of AppHarvest’s board of directors, and former chief operating officer Julie Nelson left earlier in the month.

AppHarvest Director of Corporate Communications Darla Turner told The Packer that the Herald Leader story caused a lot of misunderstanding.

“The article was based on an SEC filing statement that we released on Nov. 7 along with our quarterly earnings report. That filing regarding the financial status of the company is based on a formula that doesn’t take into account any of the upcoming revenue streams that we anticipate or the potential financing options that we’re actively working on—such as the sale-leaseback of our Berea, Ky., salad greens farm that could provide significant cash for ongoing operations,” Turner said.

Turner said that the company had solid plans to deliver long-term value for Appalachia and all its stakeholders.

“During a pandemic, we’ve been able to undertake what we believe is the largest-ever build-out of controlled environment agriculture in U.S. history,” she said.

“Also—because we went public while still in hypergrowth mode making significant capital investments in the four farms we have—the article portrayed those investments purely as losses instead of explaining that the cash has gone into assets that hold long-term value (our high-tech farms and equipment) that are just now ramping up to deliver millions of pounds of fruits and vegetables and revenue,” Turner added.

Looking toward 2023 tomato harvest

While the fourth farm in Richmond, a 60-acre facility, is still under construction, half of the farm has been planted with Campari and Maranice varieties of tomatoes on the vine, with an expected harvest in January 2023, according to a news release.

AppHarvest’s Moreland farm is heading into its third harvest season with a more diversified range of tomatoes, adding snacking tomatoes sold under the Sunset brand to the mix. The crop set is 50% beefsteak tomatoes, 25% tomatoes on the vine and 25% snacking tomatoes, according to the release.

“With the experience of two seasons of harvests, the Morehead farm is seeing significantly improved quality and yield, which largely can be attributed to task completion rates of crop care specialists meeting and sometimes exceeding 100% of goal,” AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb said in the release. “We’re developing a tenured workforce and seeing benefits of promoting from within to help drive efficiency and quality from folks who have grown the business with us from the ground up.”

Square Roots opening its fourth farm

Wed, 17 May 2023 13:43:48 GMT

Vertical farming brand Square Roots is opening its fourth farm on June 6.

The facility, located in Shepherdsville, Ky., adds to Square Roots production facilities in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, according to a news release.

Square Roots uses modular, “stackable” farms, made from upcycled storage containers that allow the facility to produce fresh food with hydroponic growing systems year-round, the release said. Technology allows the production of fresh produce with significantly less land and 90% less water than a traditional farm, the release said.

Square Roots features a Transparency Timeline that allows customers to trace their greens from seed to shelf and learn about the low environmental footprint of the brand’s produce, the release said.

The company has created a partner model in which it co-locates farms with strategic partners, including Gordon Food Service and UNFI.

Taylor Fresh purchases fresh-cut’s Club Chef

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:48 GMT

Taylor Fresh Foods has purchased the assets of Club Chef , a Covington, Ky., fresh-cut processor owned by the Castellini Co.

Salinas, Calif.- based Taylor Farms in a news release said the facility will continue operating as usual under the “leadership of the Taylor Farms Tennessee operating company.”

Taylor Fresh is Taylor Farms’ parent company.

“Club Chef has a long history of leadership in the foodservice fresh-cut vegetable industry,’ Bruce Taylor, chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, said in the release. “We are honored to complete this transaction and establish a distribution partnership with the Castelilni Co.”

The Club Chef employees remain on the job.

“This transaction provides a wonderful opportunity for our employees and customers who are joining Taylor Fresh Foods and allows us to be singularly focused on growing in areas of the produce supply chain where Castellini has, for over 120 years, provided great value to its customers,” Brian Kocher, CEO of the Castellini Group of Companies, said in the release.

“Castellini Group of Companies looks forward to the expanded relationship with Taylor Farms and overwhelming our current and prospective customers with the value that we can provide,” Kocher said in the release.

Related stories:

Taylor Farms, Del Monte, Crunch Pak receive Innovation Awards

A restaurant experience at home with Taylor Farms salad kits

Taylor Farms buys Earthbound Farm from Danone

Castellini Group of Cos. enhances facilities, technology

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:23:22 GMT

The Castellini Group of Cos., Cincinnati, is adopting integrated supply chain technology designed to enhance agility and efficiency for customers and suppliers.

It’s one of two major changes at the Castellini Group as it heads into a new phase of a growth plan, to meet changes in the industry, according to a news release.

It has also finished the expansion of the Castellini Co . facility in Wilder, Ky., which now houses Crosset Co. and Grant County Foods , allowing the organizations to capitalize on their full-service capabilities.

The fully integrated company retains the Castellini name, according to the release.

“Our goal is very clear: to be an indispensable value at every touchpoint in the supply chain,” Brian Kocher, president and CEO of the Castellini Group of Cos., said in the release. “We will continue to engineer and design better, simpler solutions for our customers.”

The new custom operating system, according to the release, will:

Provide more online services, including account portals, ordering and digital inventories;
Use advanced technology to plan, service and manage operations efficiently;
Rotate inventory more quickly, consolidating inventory from three locations; and
Enhance back-office automation, consolidating orders, inventories and accounting functions so customers can access all products and services with one contact.

“We have great assets, great expertise and the financial strength to continue as a leader in the produce industry,” according to the release. “We are deploying all these resources and our human touch on behalf of our customers to deliver a better way, simply.”

The company transformation will take place over the next eight months, according to the release, and includes an updated branding campaign “in the near future.”

Related stories:

Crosset Co. produce conference sees record attendance

Industry draws lessons from other food lobbyists

Kentucky-based AppHarvest sells shares on NASDAQ

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:33:22 GMT

It happened after Morehead, Ky-based AppHarvest and Novus Capital Corp. completed its business combination and related charter amendments.

The resulting company is named AppHarvest Inc. and its common stock and warrants have started trading on NASDAQ under the new ticker symbols “APPH” and “APPHW,” respectively Feb. 1, according to a news release.

An indoor farm builder and operator and Certified B corporation, AppHarvest has qualified to list on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, which is the highest of three tiers based on certain financial, liquidity and corporate governance requirements that the company met, according to the release.

The combined company will be led by Jonathan Webb, AppHarvest’s founder and CEO.

“Today marks an important milestone,” Webb said in the release. “The capital we raised in this transaction will further advance our mission of transforming agriculture by developing large-scale, sustainable food production in the heart of Central Appalachia.”

The boards of directors of AppHarvest and Novus Capital unanimously approved the transaction, and the transaction was also approved at a special meeting of Novus Capital shareholders Jan. 29, according to the release.

Novus Capital is a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.

On Jan. 19, AppHarvest harvested its first crop of beefsteak tomatoes from its 60-acre flagship indoor farm in Morehead and began shipping to select national grocery retailers.

The Morehead facility is expected to produce about 45 million pounds of tomatoes annually.

Two other farms are under construction in Kentucky, one about 15 acres and the other more than 60 acres.

Kentucky-based AppHarvest to build indoor berry farm

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:29:14 GMT

Morehead, Ky.-based AppHarvest Inc. started building two new high-tech indoor farms: A berry farm in Somerset, Ky., and a leafy greens farm Morehead, Ky.

Known on the NASDAQ as APPH, APPHW, the public benefit corporation and Certified B Corporation is focused on reducing water usage and using only recycled rainwater.

The 30-acre Somerset indoor farm will be AppHarvest’s first go at growing berries.

At about 15 acres, the Morehead farm will be the second AppHarvest farm in Rowan County.

The company’s flagship 2.76-million-square-foot facility grows tomatoes in Morehead. Also preceding the latest two farms under construction are a 15-acre facility in Berea that will grow leafy greens and a 60-acre facility in Richmond that will grow vine crops.

“These new facilities place us exactly where we want to be at the forefront of agtech. With today’s dual announcement, we put ourselves ahead of our development schedule,” founder and CEO Jonathan Webb said in the release.

AppHarvest’s goal is to operate 12 high-tech indoor farms by the end of 2025, and as of June 21, five of those farms are underway. Construction for both the Somerset and Morehead facilities should finish by the end of 2022.

“Even as a pandemic raged, Jonathan Webb and his team built one of the biggest indoor farming operations anywhere using one of the most advanced LED-lighting systems …” Gov. Andy Beshear said in the release.

Mastronardi, AppHarvest bring 60-acre greenhouse to Kentucky

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:54:06 GMT

Kingsville, Ontario-based Mastronardi Produce and Morehead, Ky.-based AppHarvest are partnering to build a sustainable, high-tech 60-acre greenhouse in Morehead.

“This is a significant milestone for Kentucky’s farming and food sectors,” Paul Mastronardi, president and CEO of Mastronardi Produce, said in a news release.

The new build represents the first phase of AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb’s vision to stoke the region’s economy, which took a major hit with the decline of coal. It will create a year-round supply of Sunset tomatoes and cucumbers .

Both companies have a commitment to developing communities, so the location was made with that value in mind, according to the release.

“This greenhouse will be a source of opportunity, optimism and prosperity for the entire Appalachian region,” Webb said in the release.

The partnership will give Mastronardi Produce’s Sunset brand regional access to retailers in Kentucky and surrounding states — Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia — within hours of being harvested, according to the release.

“We believe everyone should be able to buy fresh vegetables,” Mastronardi said in the release.
The company leaders expect the first harvest to hit stores in 2020.

Related articles:

Mastronardi investor, partner on high-tech local food plan

Mastronardi joins Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Greenhouse growth cools

Top retailers in the Southeast by market share

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:42:31 GMT

Each year, The Shelby Report showcases valuable retail market share data. In the interactive map below, find each major market in the Southeast. Also, highlighted are the major cities in each market.

All markets are “labeled” or identified by their primary state (with metros or key cities). Percentages are estimates based on annualized sales, industry data, institutional research and store footprints. Shares are updated as market metrics dictate and retailers supply their store lists.*

Market shares are for chains, independents and/or the wholesalers (voluntary or cooperative) which supply them within each region’s distribution area, extending well beyond typical metros or CBSAs. Each market is defined by the sphere of distribution, not by a rigid geographic boundary.

Major cities in each market:

Alabama/Florida/Georgia/Mississippi - Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Pensacola, Panama City, Columbus, Meridian
Central Florida - Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Port St. Lucie
Georgia - Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Rome
Kentucky/Indiana/Tennessee - Louisville, Lexington
Mid & East Tennessee/Kentucky/Virginia/Georgia - Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga
Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama - New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Gulfport, Mobile
North Carolina/South Carolina/Virginia/West Virginia - Charlotte, Raleigh, Roanoke, VA Beach, Charleston
North Florida/South Georgia - Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee, Albany, Brunswick
South Carolina/East Georgia - Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Conway, Augusta, Savannah
South Florida - Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach
West Tennessee/Arkansas/Mississippi/Louisana - Memphis, Little Rock, Jackson, Monroe

Castellini Co. expands, combines three companies

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:40:48 GMT

The Wilder, Ky.-based Castellini Co. has “re-branded” and consolidated three companies — including Independence, Ky.-based Crosset Co. and Dry Ridge, Ky.-based Grant County Foods — under one new Castellini umbrella and location, as well as expanded the Castellini facility in Wilder, said Thomas Federl, communications director.

“The goal of the expansion and unification was to simplify Castellini’s entire supply chain for the benefit of its cus-tomers and the company’s future,” he said.

“Consolidated inventories speed turnover, while clarity in grower/buyer strategies aligns Castellini’s interests with its customers.”

Later in 2020, the company also will introduce a newly designed warehouse management system (WMS), as well as its own custom operating system, Federl said.

Related Content:

Castellini Group of Cos. enhances facilities, technology

Kentucky Joins Band of States Blocking WOTUS

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 12:49:16 GMT

Kentucky joined the band of states blocking the Biden administration’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) definition on Thursday after an appeals court issued a freeze on the rule until May 10—when the court will decide whether it will issue a formal injunction.

Kentucky is the 27th state to put a wall up against the legislation. If the state moves to file an injunction, it will mirror the latest North Dakota ruling issued two weeks ago .

Why are so many state courts allowing a block of the rule?

The Problem with WOTUS

The latest WOTUS definition—put into motion by the Biden administration on March 20—has been met with a wave of backlash from the ag industry for its “overreaching” jurisdiction.

Under the current rule, the following bodies of water are considered WOTUS and therefore subject to federal regulation:

• Traditional navigable waters
• Tributaries that contribute perennial or intermittent flow to such waters
• Certain ditches that meet specific criteria related to flow and function
• Certain lakes and ponds
• Impoundments of otherwise jurisdictional waters
• Wetlands that are adjacent to jurisdictional waters

Related article: What’s Wrong with the Current Waters of the U.S. Rule?

According to stakeholders and legislative officials, like Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the policy will force farmers to navigate a “costly and time-consuming” permit process or bring government penalties. He shared his contempt for the “radical” WOTUS rule in a statement following Kentucky’s block.

“EPA’s expanded definition would classify nearly all wetlands as ‘navigable’ waters and thus subject to federal government interference,” McConnell said. “This would give federal bureaucrats in Washington sweeping control over just about every piece of land that touches a pothole, ditch, or puddle in Kentucky.”

What’s Next?

EPA countered Kentucky’s move, asking the court to make clear that the latest rule does not apply nationwide.

The ongoing WOTUS matter will ultimately be settled in the Supreme Court, with a ruling expected by June.

Kentucky firm awarded $122M federal supply contract

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 16:07:21 GMT

Creation Gardens Inc., Louisville, Ky., has been awarded a maximum $122.7 million contract to supply fresh fruit and vegetables to military and school customers.

The awarded contract with the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support was a competitive acquisition with three responses received in total, according to a news release .

The four-and-a-half-year contract has no option periods, with an ordering period end date of March 11, 2028, the release said.

Contract customers are the Army, Air Force, Air National Guard, Job Corps, and USDA schools, the release said.

Kentucky

Bosch Growers to acquire AppHarvest berry and cucumber farm

CEA players secure four AppHarvest farms

Related AppHarvest coverage

Creditor seeks immediate $47.2M repayment on AppHarvest’s largest farm

Related news: AppHarvest ousts CEO as creditors continue to knock

Related news: AppHarvest faces foreclosure of its Richmond tomato farm

Triaging mounting financial concerns

AppHarvest faces foreclosure of its Richmond tomato farm

More AppHarvest coverage on The Packer:

AppHarvest’s Q1 earnings beat consensus

Making steady process on strategic plan

Expanding production

Financial Outlook

Mastronardi purchases AppHarvest farm in $127M sale-leaseback deal

Financial woes surface in investor report, but AppHarvest says it's ramping up

Related news: Mastronardi funds AppHarvest to grow greens, expand farms in Appalachia

Looking toward 2023 tomato harvest

Square Roots opening its fourth farm

Related links

Taylor Fresh purchases fresh-cut’s Club Chef

Castellini Group of Cos. enhances facilities, technology

Kentucky-based AppHarvest sells shares on NASDAQ

Kentucky-based AppHarvest to build indoor berry farm

Mastronardi, AppHarvest bring 60-acre greenhouse to Kentucky

Top retailers in the Southeast by market share

Castellini Co. expands, combines three companies

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