Close to Home: 3 wholesalers create high-quality products in the U.S.
A mid economic uncertainty surrounding tariffs and import challenges, several companies are touting U.S. manufacturing as a strategic solution.
Three U.S.-based wholesalers — Hydra Aromatherapy, Mugsy Bakes and J6R6 — highlight the benefits of local manufacturing, such as quality control, community support and supply chain efficiency, while navigating looming tariffs and addressing common misconceptions.
HYDRA AROMATHERAPY
Hydra Aromatherapy’s products are made start- to-finish in Lexington, Kentucky, with “responsibly sourced” ingredients designed to fit any lifestyle — intended to make wellness easy and accessible, CEO Anne Cork said.
“At Hydra Aromatherapy, we’re all about turning the everyday into something extraordinary,” Cork said. “Our handcrafted bath and body products bring a fresh, vibrant twist to aromatherapy — helping customers breathe deep, reset and enjoy simple self-care rituals.”
Hydra Aromatherapy’s three primary products are Shower Bursts, Bathtub Teas and Roll-Ons — each made with essential or fragrance oils. The company offers a range of displays and packaging, from single Shower Bursts in its signature glass jars to curated duos and trios. In 2025, the company launched its Aromatic Tablet line, which is handcrafted with fragrance oils and packaged in a box rather than a foil wrap.
Its bestselling products include the Essential Oil Showers Bursts, available in scents such as Relax, Stress Buster, Cold & Flu Buster, Clarity and Headache Buster. Cork noted that across the three product categories, Relax is the top-selling scent with a fragrance profile of lavender and bergamot.
Hydra Aromatherapy first began as a retail business in San Francisco, where it produced 90% of its products. As the brand evolved, customer feedback began shaping its direction.
“People loved our bath fizzies but wanted something for the shower,” Cork said. “We created the Shower Burst, and its instant popularity changed our business focus from retail to wholesale.”
In 2014, Hydra Aromatherapy moved its production facility to Lexington in order to keep its handmade manufacturing in the U.S. and continue to use high- quality ingredients. Today, the products are all still handcrafted, mixed in small batches and created with care by its team in Lexington.
For Hydra Aromatherapy, Cork said manufacturing locally not only supports the community where the company resides but also allows the team to maintain the highest-quality standards — all while enjoying the brand’s scents every day on the job.
“There are challenges of course, such as price pressure from overseas manufacturing and the rising costs of employee benefits like health care but we are committed to keeping local despite those challenges,” she said.
According to Cork, the tariff situation in the U.S. adds another layer of strain for businesses across the industry. “We feel the pressure to increase employee pay to try and offset the rising costs of other items made overseas that our staff need for daily living,” she said. “Our essential oils are made all over the world, so prices have definitely increased in our raw goods.”
As a brand with a legacy enduring more than two decades, Hydra Aromatherapy aims to evolve while staying true to its roots: products that are thoughtful, effective and designed for everyday use. According to Cork, customers return to the company because it’s more than just self-care — it’s a ritual they can count on.
“We have continued to make our items in the USA because we highly value our community and believe that we can grow stronger working together: manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike,” she said.
A common misconception about manufacturing in the U.S. is that it’s always significantly more expensive. Hydra Aromatherapy offsets some of those inherent costs by staying nimble and quickly responding to market needs.
“We don’t have to hold large amounts of inventory at one time and can use a ‘just in time’ manufacturing process,” she said. “This allows us to avoid stale or overstock products and ties up less of our working capital.”
MUGSY BAKES
Mugsy Bakes is on a mission to spark dessert joy with its single-serve mug cake mixes, said co-founder Devon Climer. The mug cakes were created to be convenient and better-for-you without compromising on taste.
“We embrace life’s simple pleasures 100% guilt-free, no oven required,” Climer said. “We are a women- owned company determined to bring some celebration into the everyday.”
The company offers four flavors in its core line: Chocolate Lava, Lemon Vanilla, Chocolate Chip Cookie and Birthday Cake, with bestsellers being the Chocolate Lava and Chocolate Chip Cookie mixes. Mugsy Bakes also launched a seasonal flavor for the holidays — Chocolate Peppermint, which tastes like a “Girl Scout Thin Mint in cake form.”
Manufacturing in the U.S. wasn’t necessarily a decision, it was a no-brainer of Mugsy Bakes’ products.
“We had been making our mixes by hand up until recently, and quality is of utmost importance to us,” Climer said. “As we were searching for the right manufacturing partner, we exclusively looked in the U.S.; we just knew we wanted to keep our product as close to us as possible.”
Nina Dvorak Lawless, co-founder of Mugsy Bakes, noted that the product is relatively easy to manufacture since it’s a shelf-stable dry mix. Production involves blending the mix, adding inclusions, then portioning it into single-serve pouches and heat-sealing them.
“The challenge for us was finding a manufacturing partner that operates a gluten-free facility, as that is very important to a big subset of our consumer base,” she said.
Although Mugsy Bakes has experienced only advantages to manufacturing in the U.S., the company still expects to be impacted by tariffs.
“While our products are made in the U.S., a good amount of our ingredients are imported,” Climer added. “We use a lot of cocoa, dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut sugar, and we’ve seen a big spike in prices due to tariffs. It’s definitely a big deal for small businesses, especially ones like us who are still working on gaining distribution.”
Mugsy Bakes’ manufacturing partner is a small, family-owned operation that places food safety, quality and integrity at the center of its business practice — a priority first and foremost for Mugsy Bakes.
From a supply chain standpoint, Dvorak Lawless said the company has saved a considerable amount on freight with its manufacturer being a relatively short distance away from the Cleveland-based Mugsy headquarters.
“From a marketing and retailer standpoint, there are opportunities that present that we would otherwise miss out on if we weren’t produced in the U.S., so that’s always an added bonus,” she said.
While some assume that manufacturing in the U.S. is purely a marketing statement, for Mugsy Bakes, it’s a valued decision. Climer and Dvorak Lawless wanted to stay close to their company’s product, people and process — so they never even considered producing anywhere else.
“Being made here allows us to work with partners who share our commitment to quality and integrity,” Dvorak Lawless said. “It’s not always the easiest or cheapest route, but it’s the one that aligns with who we are as founders and what we are building with Mugsy.”
At the end of the day, Mugsy Bakes wants to make it easy for people to treat themselves well.
“Life’s busy — dessert shouldn’t be,” Climer said. “If Mugsy can bring someone a little joy in a mug, that’s a win for us. Plus, they make such fun little gifts — something that feels personal, thoughtful and delicious without any stress or mess attached.”
J6R6
In 2021, husband-wife-duo Rachel and Jason Six began stationery and lifestyle brand J6R6 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
J6R6 aims to create functional art designed to be enjoyed and used every day. Each collection features Rachel’s original artwork brought to life through Jason’s product design and creative direction.
“Our vibrant products can be found in artisan boutiques, museums, zoos and bookstores across the U.S.,” she said.
J6R6’s made-in-the-USA products include stickers, vinyl sticker sheets, custom namedrop stickers, greeting cards, bookmarks, notepads and notebooks.
Rachel said it’s a priority to work with local vendors whenever possible and to support fellow entrepreneurs. J6R6’s first products were art prints and cards, both produced by local printers the pair had known and trusted for years.
“We never considered using anyone else because we value our relationships with our vendors and the ability to conduct in-person press checks,” Rachel said.
One major advantage of manufacturing in America is that shipping costs are lower and delivery times are faster. However, the challenge is finding local vendors — especially in areas like textiles — who can offer competitive pricing that allows both sides to profit while keeping wholesale costs in line with the market.
The picture, however, is more nuanced than just speed and savings. J6R6 expects to be affected by tariffs because not everything the company produces is made in the U.S.
“We prioritize sourcing domestically whenever possible and only look abroad when we can’t find what we need,” she said. “This approach is important, as high costs or inconsistent quality can limit our ability to grow and bring our product ideas to life.”
Some people assume that U.S. manufacturing is always more expensive, but that’s not necessarily true. J6R6 chooses vendors based on their expertise, quality and customer service, not location.
“Just as you’d go to Italy for exceptional pasta rather than England, we go to the right specialists for each product,” Rachel said. “It just happens that most of our vendors are local.”
