Profile Products’ HydraFiber received the 2019 Gamechanger of the Year award at Cultivate’19.
Many of the nation’s largest growers have called Profile Products’ HydraFiber advanced substrate product a gamechanger in allowing them to improve plant quality and consistency. During Greenhouse Grower’s Medal of Excellence event at Cultivate’19, the HydraFiber team was rewarded, winning the second-annual Gamechanger of the Year award.
“Our team spent years developing HydraFiber, and this award is a recognition of their efforts and a testament to our mission of helping the industry deliver a quality product,” said Jennifer Neujahr, Director of Horticulture at Profile Products, in accepting the award.
“The HydraFiber team brought a product to the market that more than half of the top 100 growers in the country are using to improve quality at their greenhouse,” says Scott Rusch of PanAmerican Seed, one of many who nominated Profile Products for this year’s Gamechanger award. “In my opinion, the HydraFiber team has led a revolution in the substrate segment of the industry. Their high-quality products, technical experts, and service have delivered results to growers in a very short amount of time.”
HydraFiber Expanding with New Products for Growers of All Sizes
Looking for a way to make HydraFiber accessible to everyone in the industry, Neujahr says the HydraFiber family of advanced substrate products has expanded with two new products, HydraFiber Hybrid and HydraFiber EZ Blend. These new products provide a broader range of solutions for growers and soil blenders of any size, anywhere in the world, without the need for specialized processing equipment.
According to Neujahr, HydraFiber Hybrid and HydraFiber EZ Blend are less compressed than the original HydraFiber, allowing blenders and growers who blend with a vertical bale buster, or growers who use bale busters and pad mix, to reap the benefits of HydraFiber Advanced Substrate.
HydraFiber Hybrid is best for blenders and growers who have a bale buster or shaver in their line for mixing soils. Hybrid requires peat processing equipment to separate materials prior to blending. Any common expansion unit already in place will work well for opening Hybrid. It offers an 8:1 expansion rate.
HydraFiber EZ Blend is best for growers who pad mix their soils and are looking to work with HydraFiber’s high bulk density material. EZ Blend requires a front-end loader or shovel to separate materials prior to blending. It comes in two formulations – with or without surfactant – and has a 4:1 expansion rate.
As part of the product line expansion, the original HydraFiber Advanced Substrate has been rebranded as HydraFiber Ultra. It is for growers who amend or blend their own soil and have one or more transplant lines. Ultra offers five formulations based on crop types and timing. Because of its extreme compaction, Ultra requires a HydraFiber processing unit from AgriNomix, HydraFiber’s equipment manufacturing partner, to maximize the yield of the bale (13:1 expansion rate). The unit can be added to most existing mix lines. Due to its highly compressed nature, Ultra is the most economical raw material in the HydraFiber Advanced Substrate product line, delivering the best cost savings to growers.
“Although the original HydraFiber has a new name, the product itself is still the same powerful and proven product that has become a game changer for professional greenhouse growers across the globe,” Neujahr said. “The name change was born out of a need to simplify the branding as we expand and develop new products for our customers.”
All of HydraFiber’s products are proven environmentally friendly amendments and alternatives to perlite, peat, pine bark, and coir, and provide customers with healthy, strong plants. All three HydraFiber products are now available in compressed bales, which deliver lower shipping costs and more storage space for growers, providing them with lower operating costs and better margins.
In 2020, Hybrid and EZ Blend will also be available in 100-cubic-foot compressed towers.