Dante Brunetti Scholarship

KeyPlex is pleased to announce the establishment of the Dante Brunette Scholarship. The scholarship is intended to enable students interested in plant health technology to pursue higher education. The scholarship will be available to students attending the University of Massachusetts, University of Georgia, and Zamorano in Honduras.



Upon first hearing the news, a stunned Brunetti responded, “I feel very fortunate to have realized a dream, a dream that has come to fruition because you believe in it so strongly. That is what happened to me with KeyPlex over the last 28 years.”

Dante Brunetti joined the company at its inception, selling KeyPlex to vegetable growers, ornamental nurseries and golf courses in South Florida. He found a product that he truly believed in and has spent the bulk of his career educating growers in the United States and Latin America about micronutrients and advanced plant health technologies. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Planning for KeyPlex and continues to travel regularly.

After assuming the helm, Gerald O’Connor quickly came to realize that Dan has a wealth of knowledge and that his vision has been instrumental in building KeyPlex. “I felt that by developing the scholarship we could honor Dan’s contributions by nurturing young minds and encouraging them to study plant health,” said O’Connor, President and CEO of KeyPlex.

The University of Massachusetts, University of Georgia, and Zamorano will administer the scholarship which provides support for approximately one third of the student’s tuition. Brunetti selected the institutions because he feels strongly about the quality of their faculty, research, and graduates. He indicates that he is both “honored and privileged” that a scholarship that will aid in assisting students with a passion for plant health to obtain education and become the future leaders of agriculture.

KeyPlex Expands into Sports Turf, Golf, and Landscape with Partner Ecosyn Distributors

KeyPlex, a world leader in micronutrients and advanced plant nutrition for the past 29 years, has announced an expansion into the professional services arenas. EcoSyn Distributors of New Smyrna Beach, Florida and Oneonta, New York has been selected as the National Distribution Coordinator.


EcoSyn President, Kevin Meredith is a long standing member of STMA, a Certified Sports Field Manager and current Turf Manager at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. “KeyPlex produces leading edge micronutrient products that give outstanding results, are budget friendly and environmentally safe. There’s a lot of bang for your buck in KeyPlex,“ says Meredith. He is looking forward to bringing an environmentally-friendly pesticide alternative to a market that is becoming more and more aware of the need to address the issues of sustainability and environmental stewardship.


The EcoSyn product line will include the flagship product KeyPlex 350 as well as the organic formula KeyPlex350OR. KeyPlex 350 is a registered bio-pesticide with the EPA and the only micronutrient bio-pesticide on the market. Backed with years of scientific research, KeyPlex 350 has been shown to elicit defensive proteins in plants; a phenomenon known as systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Essentially this means that KeyPlex-nourished plants are poised both to grow faster and defend against pests, disease, extreme weather, and recover faster from mechanical injury. Additionally, humans and animals benefit from the environmentally friendly properties of the pesticide alternative.


KeyPlex President, Gerald O’Connor, says professional services was a natural extension of the turf production market which incorporates KeyPlex products as part of their best management practices. O’Connor felt that it was, “very important to have the right expertise to manage the distribution channel for sports turf, golf courses, and landscape maintenance,” and is pleased to have Kevin Meredith and EcoSyn Distributors on board.

KeyPlex Available for Home Grower

KeyPlex is now available to the home grower! Convenient quart size bottles of concentrated premium micronutrients may be purchased at www.KeyplexDirect.com. For 29 years KeyPlex products have been relied on by professional growers, but difficult and cumbersome for home gardeners and even many small nurseries to obtain and store in the large 2.5 gallon bottles. KeyPlex Executive Vice President, Dante Brunetti, says the decision to make KeyPlex more easily accessible to the general public is a result of consistent requests for smaller quantities.


Richard Johnston, CEO of KeyPlex Direct indicates that KeyPlex HG is a proprietary blend, based on KeyPlex 350, enhanced for optimum uptake when applied alone via a hose end sprayer or small hand pump. KeyPlex 350 is recognized in the farming industry as a premium chelated micronutrient product. The foliar application allows plants to absorb the necessary minerals regardless of soil conditions.


Application every two weeks during the growing season is recommended in conjunction with the use of a general (N-P-K) fertilizer. A properly nourished plant – that is, one without micronutrient deficiencies – grows faster, produces more blooms, produces more fruit or vegetables, and is more tolerant of environmental stresses such as drought and heat.

KeyPlex Forms Mexico Distributorship

To better meet the growing demand for KeyPlex products in Mexico, management has decided to form KeyPlex Mexico. This new distribution channel will employ and train several sales people specifically to address the demand in citrus, bananas, grapes, vegetables, and olives.

Marco Castaneda, KeyPlex’s Latin America Manager, will head up this new operation. President and CEO Gerald O’Connor is confident that this move will “increase our market penetration and help service our customers as they grow their businesses due to international demand.”

Mexico plays an increasingly strategic role in the production of fruits and vegetables consumed worldwide and especially in the United States. In 2007 3.2 million metric tons of vegetables and 1.8 million metric tons of fruit was imported from Mexico. This represents an increase of about 260% from 1990.

KeyPlex’s chelated micronutrients have been proven effective in lab and in the field. Growers in Mexico will now have access to the benefits of a foliar micronutrient with alpha-keto acids which are most readily absorbed and used by plants. The resulting healthy plants grow faster, have heavier yields, are more disease resistant, and better withstand environmental and physical stressors.

Sales inquiries should be directed to Marco A. Castañeda, marco@keyplex.com, or +52 (667)713-6066

KeyPlex Expands Opening Chilean Office

KeyPlex continues to expand into the international agriculture market with an office in Chile. The recent appointment of Patricio Parga is intended to encourage continued international growth and service the demand for KeyPlex products.

Exports of Chilean produce to Europe and USA continue to grow. “Demand for a high quality produce and increase in yield are important to the Chilean farmer,” comments Sr. Parga, "and KeyPlex delivers those results."

The opening of an office in Rancagua is the second international office for Florida-based KeyPlex. “Our growth is based on our success – people, when they use KeyPlex, are truly amazed by the results,” explains KeyPlex President Gerald O’Connor.

Marco Castaneda Appointed Head of KeyPlex Mexican Expansion

Marco Castaneda is a symbol of KeyPlex expansion into the international agriculture market. Casteneda was recently appointed head of operations in Mexico. Agristar has been selected as the KeyPlex product distributor for Mexico.

Mexico is a logical expansion for Florida based KeyPlex. Tomatoes, green peppers, oranges, lemons, limes, and other tropical fruit are among principal Mexican crops with which KeyPlex has research experience and proven effectiveness.

The success of the venture will rest in large part on the shoulders of Castaneda. Dan Brunetti, head of marketing and business development, says that Casteneda brings to the table a “wealth of experience and contacts in agriculture.” Castaneda has extensive experience selling agricultural products and equipment throughout Mexico and the Latin American region.

KeyPlex President, Gerald O’Connor, is optimistic about the future of the Mexico market and the ability to use it as a stepping stone into other Central and South American countries.

KeyPlex moves its Headquarters to Winter Park, FL

KeyPlex has moved its corporate headquarters to Winter Park, Florida. This central location was selected for better access to its customers, R&D and manufacturing operation. President, Gerald O’Connor, says the change was necessary to manage the rapidly growing organization.

“The Orlando area provides an excellent talent pool for new employees and easy airline access to other US States, Latin America and Europe”. O’Connor continues on to say, “Being close to your field trials and other operations ensure better quality control and future product results—this translates into greater effective products for our customers, because they are the ones who face the greatest economic and environmental challenges.”