27 - May 2011 Quick Plug B.V. is a Dutch manufacturer of stabilized substrates for professional horticulture. In the 6½ years of its existence, the company has gained a position in the MKB Innovation top 100 for the second time. The top 100 is an initiative of the Syntens Centre for Innovation. The nomination in the top 100 is as a result of the introduction of a revolutionary coating which envelopes the exterior of the plug. This process is revolutionary as it has not been used anywhere else in the world before. Among other products, Quick Plug B.V. supplies propagation plugs to countries in Southern Europe. Here, in greenhouses, temperatures rise to such an extent that crops need to be cooled with water. To avoid the multiplication-substrate from being constantly wet, an extreme airy and water permeable plug was developed. This plug furthermore, stimulates growth and prevents root disease. However, a technical problem occurs when the young plants are transported as the substrate’s moisture buffer is inadequate and plants wither fast. Quick Plug’s revolutionary innovation targets the exterior of the plug. As a result of a moisture-retaining coating being developed, the plug becomes enveloped by a thin layer of moisture. This innovation can best be compared with a moisturizing cream applied on a dry skin. In the season of 2010-2011 alone, already 40 Million plugs with this coating have been sold! Quick Plug offers its clients the possibility to develop a custom-made propagation system with regard to nutrition, pH and substrate built on the client’s specific needs.

4 - June 2010 The crowning glory of our work is that Quick Plug is quoted in the official Innovation top 100 of MKB (Medium and Small Companies in The Netherlands) in 2010. We experience this quotation as an extra motivation to do what we decided to do 5 years ago, and hope to continuously surprise our customers with innovative growing media.