How Murphy’s Naturals Brought Manufacturing Back to the USA

a screenshot of a website — **Murphy's Naturals offers a variety of insect repellent products.** —

Murphy’s Naturals began with a simple but stubborn problem: mosquitoes loved Philip Freeman’s wife far too much.

Determined to help her enjoy the outdoors without relying on harsh chemicals, Freeman set out to create a natural alternative to conventional repellents. This at-home experiment grew into Murphy’s Naturals, a certified B corporation known for its commitment to natural ingredients, sustainable sourcing, and domestic manufacturing.

CO— spoke with Freeman to learn more about his entrepreneurial journey and how he helped expand Murphy’s Naturals into a well-loved brand found across stores nationwide.

How a backyard problem sparked a business

Named after the family dog, Murphy’s Naturals emerged from Freeman’s lifetime of problem-solving, from his upbringing on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains to his years as a naval officer and deep-sea diver.

Following these experiences, he spent over two decades in the packaging industry, helping large corporations tackle packaging and manufacturing challenges. This blend of resourcefulness and curiosity gave him the confidence to experiment with formulations until he landed on the idea for a mosquito repellent that worked—and that his wife trusted.

a man wearing a hat — **Philip Freeman, Founder Murphy's Naturals** —

“Growing up on a farm [and] being in the Navy … my job always lent to solving problems,” Freeman recalled. “So I was just finally applying [that] to home.”

Reshoring production to regain control

Though Freeman initially relied on overseas partners, his long-term goal was always to bring production home. Several factors made that vision more urgent: rising tariffs during the first Trump administration, their continuation under the Biden administration, and growing concerns about geopolitical risks. Those pressures, combined with the desire for stronger quality control and shorter lead times, sparked an ambitious transition to onshore production.

“We ran into a couple of challenges along the way where the quality didn't meet our needs or our specifications, and that created a real challenge because it caused us to go out of product, [as] we weren't going to put an inferior product on the store shelves,” Freeman said. “We put [processes] in place at our manufacturers overseas, but it just gave me that much more motivation to bring [manufacturing] in.”

When we're in control of our manufacturing, we can decide when the products [are] being made versus having it made overseas and [accounting for] the lead time to ship it to us. Philip Freeman, Founder and CEO of Murphy's Naturals

Today, approximately 85% of Murphy’s Naturals products are manufactured in the United States, with the majority produced in-house at the company’s headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their incense stick repellent line is one of the few remaining products made overseas, but Freeman’s team is already reverse-engineering specialized equipment to shift to domestic production of that product as well.

“The goal for next year's season [is that] those products will be made in the U.S., and that'll mean we're about 95% made in the U.S. and 90% made in our facility in Raleigh,” added Freeman.

Investing in local manufacturing for long-term growth

Murphy’s Naturals’ focus on local manufacturing has required a considerable upfront investment to make this goal a reality. Freeman explains that while labor costs are generally higher domestically, the company offsets them with process automation, efficient production lines, and better oversight.

More importantly, owning their manufacturing has allowed Murphy to stay nimble and respond to customer demands—even from large retailers—without delay.

“As a young and growing company, demand isn't smooth,” said Freeman. “You could bring on a new customer [whose] demands are significantly more than what you had planned for. And how do you adjust to that if you don't have your own manufacturing?”

This level of control also helps ensure that the company’s natural formulas are consistent and effective—an advantage that’s proven essential as Murphy’s Naturals expands its retail footprint into big-box stores.

“When we're in control of our manufacturing, we can decide when the products [are] being made versus having it made overseas and [accounting for] the lead time to ship it to us,” Freeman noted.

Scaling sustainably ahead of growing demand

Looking ahead, Murphy’s Naturals plans to expand its capacity to meet rising demand from national retailers. The company currently operates out of 140,000 square feet—but Freeman notes they’re only using a fraction of their manufacturing capability, a deliberate strategy to ensure they can handle large orders as they scale.

“I built our capacity way ahead of our business demand because I want to be able to say ‘yes’ when we start working with the really large retailers, which we are now,” Freeman explained. “Being able to manufacture in-house gives us that ability.”

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