APPHARVEST, INC.
500 Appalachian Way
Morehead, Kentucky 40351
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On May 13, 2022
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THESE PROXY MATERIALS AND VOTING
What is AppHarvest, Inc.?
On January 29, 2021, AppHarvest Operations, Inc. (f/k/a AppHarvest, Inc., “Legacy AppHarvest”), a Delaware public benefit corporation, Novus Capital Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Novus”), ORGA, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Novus (“Merger Sub”), consummated the closing of the transactions contemplated by a Business Combination Agreement, dated September 2020 (the “Business Combination Agreement”), following the approval at a special meeting of the stockholders of Novus held on January 29, 2021. Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, a Business Combination of Legacy AppHarvest and Novus was effected through the merger of Legacy AppHarvest with and into Merger Sub, with Legacy AppHarvest surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Novus (the “Business Combination”). On the closing date, Legacy AppHarvest changed its name to AppHarvest Operations, Inc. and Novus changed its name from Novus Capital Corporation to AppHarvest, Inc. (“AppHarvest,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”).
Together with its subsidiaries, the Company is an applied agricultural technology company in Appalachia developing and operating some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms, which are designed to grow non-GMO produce, free of or with minimal chemical pesticide residues, use primarily rainwater, and produce significantly higher yields than those yields achieved by traditional agriculture on the same amount of land. The Company combines conventional agricultural techniques with cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence and robotics, to improve access to nutritious food, farm more sustainably, build a domestic food supply, and increase investment in Appalachia.
Prior to October 2020, our operations were limited to the “start-up” concerns of organizing and staffing, business planning, raising capital, and acquiring and developing properties for Controlled Environment Agriculture (“CEA”). In October 2020, we partially opened our first CEA facility in Morehead, Kentucky (the “Morehead CEA facility”), which we estimate can cultivate approximately 720,000 tomato plants with an approximate yield of 40 million pounds per year.
We harvested our first crop of beefsteak tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine in January 2021 and March 2021, respectively. In May 2021, we opened production of the full 60 acres at the Morehead CEA facility and, in August 2021, concluded the first harvest. We completed planting of our second crop at the Morehead CEA facility in September 2021, and began harvest of the crop in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Why did I receive a notice regarding the availability of proxy materials on the internet instead of a full set of proxy materials?
Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the internet. Accordingly, we have sent you a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) because our board of directors (the “Board”) is soliciting your proxy to vote at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), including at any adjournments or postponements thereof, to be held on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. All stockholders will have the ability to access the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice or request to receive a printed set of the proxy materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the internet or to request a printed copy may be found in the Notice.
The Notice will provide instructions as to how a stockholder of record may access and review the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice or, alternatively, how to request that a copy of the proxy materials, including a proxy card, be sent by mail or email to the stockholder of record. The Notice will also provide voting instructions. Please note that, while our proxy materials are available at the website referenced in the Notice, and our Notice of Annual Meeting, proxy statement and annual report are available on our website, no other information contained on either website is incorporated by reference in or considered to be a part of this document.