The application of rock wool in the agricultural field has developed with the continuous maturity of soilless cultivation technology, and it has a history of more than 60 years. In cannabis cultivation, rock wool growing media is widely favoured by high-end growers because of its good controllable performance and safety. However, the production and application of rock wool substrate for cultivation originated in Europe. There are manufacturers specializing in the production of rock wool for cultivation in European and American countries such as Denmark, the United States, Poland, and the Netherlands, while there are very few professional manufacturers of hydroponic rock wool in Asia. The main reason is determined by the domestic market situation in China. At first, smart greenhouses and hydroponic cultivation were not widely used in China, the labor cost of vegetable and fruit cultivation was low, and there was no market demand.

As early as more than 30 years ago, there were several professional rock wool production companies in China, one of which has now become the top of China’s industry, Shanghai ABM Rock Wool Dafeng Co., Ltd. Which has been recognized by China’s high-end users with advanced technical equipment, strict management mode, reliable product quality and perfect service.

The ABM not only has rich experience in rock wool production but also has a keen sense of the market and foresight. It started the research and development and production of rock wool substrate in the 1990s, becoming China's first manufacturer to develop and produce hydroponic rock wool, and founded China's first rock wool substrate brand - UPuper®.

The cannabis planting market has higher requirements for standardization, systematization, and regularization of the entire process of seedling cultivation, transplanting, and planting, as well as stability, consistency, and efficiency of rock wool substrates. Therefore, the size of UPuper® products and the small performance differences between individuals can facilitate unified management by cannabis growers, and meet the requirements of obtaining consistent plant growth during the cannabis cloning and planting stages. UPuper® rock wool substrate itself does not contain or absorb any nutrients, making it easy for growers to control the steering of planting and obtain higher economic benefits. As the first factory in China to specialize in manufacturing rock wool substrates, UPuper® has a professional and standardized product quality inspection process and tests various product performances to ensure product quality. UPuper® products are already popular among cannabis growers.

In 2024, the company invested $700,000 to build an advanced smart greenhouse. Accumulating a large amount of water content data inside the rock wool will help customers adjust irrigation strategies and maximize the performance advantages of UPuper ® rock wool.

At present, in China, although UPuper® is already the leader in rock wool substrate, the research and improvement of technology and quality will never end. In the future, UPuper® will continue to optimize its products and services, effectively help growers better play their planting advantages, and strive to become the preferred brand in the hearts of professional planting customers around the world!