AppHarvest, the brainchild of Jonathan Webb, son of Corbin, Kentucky, hopes to deliver indoor, large-scale agricultural production, modeled after facilities from the Netherlands, to the Appalachian region.
The goal, the company says, is to create a new way to grow essential crops that will meet the planet’s nutritional needs sustainably and create jobs in Appalachia without depleting the region’s resources.
“It is redefining American agriculture. It is job creation. And it is also creating opportunities for getting to know your food system a little better,” said Amy Samples, director of community outreach at AppHarvest. The company recently hired 130 people and anticipates ramping up to between 300 and 350 employees sometime in 2021.