Murphy & Son
Murphy & Son Limited is a Nottingham-based, 135-year-old private manufacturer and supplier of formulated brewing ingredients, finings, water treatment systems, and laboratory testing services serving breweries, distilleries, wineries, cider producers, and soft drinks manufacturers in the UK, Europe, and global export markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1887
- HeadquartersNottingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Murphy & Son does
Murphy & Son Limited is a Nottingham, UK-based private manufacturer and supplier of formulated brewing ingredients, additives, and laboratory services serving the brewing, distilling, winemaking, cidermaking, and soft drinks industries. Founded by AJ Murphy in 1887, the company has operated continuously for over 135 years and combines in-house chemical formulation with distribution of third-party specialty inputs (notably Lallemand yeast nutrients and Anton Paar/Haffmans/Myron L instrumentation). Core proprietary products include the Finest RFU isinglass finings line for clarification, Yeast Vit blended yeast nutrients (including a cider-specific variant launched September 2025), the MCDi tunable membrane capacitive deionisation system for water treatment, and an extensive range of cleaning chemicals and fining adjuncts.
The business operates a hybrid revenue model anchored by one-time product sales through a login-gated e-commerce storefront, complemented by professional services revenue from laboratory chemistry and microbiological testing, free fining dosage optimization, and recurring revenue from annual Quality Assurance Packages. Go-to-market combines product-led e-commerce, an inside technical sales team of qualified brewers and winemakers, event-driven demand generation (BBPA Conference, Brewery Resource Roadshow, brewing workshops), and a global distribution partner network extending reach beyond the UK into Europe and additional export markets.
Strategic differentiation rests on legacy brand equity, an extensive in-house technical content library (TDS, SDS, articles), a technical bench of qualified chemists and brewers, and academic partnerships — most notably the 2025 Murphy's Technical Hub agreement with the University of Nottingham's International Centre for Brewing Science and a long-standing partnership with the UK's National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) providing access to over 4,100 yeast strains. Recent moves indicate active R&D investment, European sales expansion, and incremental line extension into adjacent beverage verticals.
Murphy & Son firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Murphy & Son
- Legal name
- Murphy & Son Limited
- Website
- https://murphyandson.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1887
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Murphy & Son Limited is a Nottingham-based, 135-year-old private manufacturer and supplier of formulated brewing ingredients, finings, water treatment systems, and laboratory testing services serving breweries, distilleries, wineries, cider producers, and soft drinks manufacturers in the UK, Europe, and global export markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Murphy & Son industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Brewing & Beverage Manufacturing Supplies
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beverage Fermentation Cultures (Beer, Wine, Cider, Kombucha, Fermented Soft Drinks) (AFAJAJAC)
Keywords
Where Murphy & Son is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nottingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Murphy & Son business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Product Sales - Brewing Supplies: Sale of brewing ingredients and additives including malts, hops, yeast, finings, enzymes, liquor treatments, cleaning chemicals, and technical equipment. Products are sold through online shop with pricing available upon login.
- Laboratory Testing Services: Chemistry and microbiological testing services for beverages including ABV analysis, water analysis, gluten testing, pesticide screening, and microbiological checks. Turnaround times vary from 1-2 days to 14 days depending on test type.
- Product Clarity Optimisation: Free optimisation service for dosing rates of finings products, helping customers achieve correct dosage for their specific recipes.
- Quality Assurance Packages: Annual quality assurance packages providing regular testing and food safety compliance for breweries, tailored to customer recipes and testing needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Online shop with login-required pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Murphy & Son product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Murphy & Son manufactures and supplies formulated brewing ingredients, additives and equipment for the brewing, distilling, winemaking and cidermaking industries, including isinglass and kettle finings, yeast nutrients, water treatment solutions (MCDi), fermentation aids and cleaning chemicals. The company also operates an in-house laboratory offering chemistry, microbiological and PCR testing services, tailored quality assurance packages, and free product clarity optimisation for commercial beverage producers.
Product overview
Murphy & Son is a supplier of brewing, distilling, winemaking and beverage-making products and services established since 1887. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered around brewing supplies (liquor treatments, finings, malts, hops, yeast, equipment) and laboratory services. Key product lines include Finest RFU isinglass finings for clarification, Yeast Vit blended nutrients for fermentation optimization, and Lalvin yeast nutrients (GO-FERM, Fermaid O, Fermaid K+) for wine production. The company provides laboratory testing services covering chemistry, microbiology, quality assurance packages, and technical support including product clarity optimization. Water treatment solutions include MCDi tunable deionization technology. The business operates as a distributor of Lallemand products (Stimula, OptiMalo, Start) and equipment suppliers including Anton Paar, Haffmans, and Myron L, while also offering its own branded technical equipment and cleaning chemicals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Finest RFU Isinglass Finings Isinglass finings solution for clarifying yeast from beer, cider and wine through natural colloidal precipitation; intended for breweries, cider producers and wineries.
- Yeast Vit Blended yeast nutrient formulated to optimise yeast health and activity in beer, wine and cider fermentation, providing essential vitamins and trace elements.
- MCDi Water Deionisation System Tunable water deionisation technology using membrane and electrode cells to remove dissolved salts, adjustable for 25-90% TDS reduction, for breweries and other beverage producers needing consistent water chemistry.
- Laboratory Testing Services Chemistry and microbiological testing services including ABV analysis, bitterness, colour, gluten, ATNC, heavy metals, water analysis, pesticide screening and PCR-based contaminant detection for breweries, distilleries, wineries and cider producers.
- Quality Assurance Packages Annual quality assurance packages tailored to individual breweries, covering food-safety analyses and quality management on a recurring testing schedule.
- Product Clarity Optimisations Free fining dosage optimisation service using customer beer or wort samples to ensure correct usage and dosing of fining products.
- Stimula Pinot Noir Fermentation nutrient providing a YAN source rich in nitrogen, vitamins and minerals to enhance Pinot Noir aromatic characteristics during winemaking.
- Stimula Cabernet Fermentation nutrient rich in nitrogen peptides, vitamins and minerals to enhance yeast metabolism and aroma biosynthesis for Cabernet wines.
- Lalvin GO-FERM Wine Yeast Nutrient Natural yeast rehydration nutrient containing micronutrients to enhance fermentation kinetics and avoid problem fermentations in winemaking.
- Lalvin Fermaid O Nutrient Inactivated yeast nutrient blend rich in organic nitrogen for wine alcoholic fermentation, formulated without added ammonia salts.
- Lalvin Fermaid K+ Wine Nutrient Complete blended yeast nutrient with inorganic and organic nitrogen, vitamins and minerals for alcoholic fermentation in grape must, fruit mashes or cereal mashes.
- Pure Lees Longevity Specific inactivated yeast to protect wine against oxidation during storage and ageing through high dissolved oxygen consumption capacity.
- OptiMalo Blanc Bacteria Nutrient Malolactic fermentation activator compensating for amino nitrogen deficiencies to promote growth of malolactic bacteria in white and rosé wines and ciders.
- Phosphate Composé Nutrient supplement for yeast alcoholic fermentation containing diammonium phosphate and thiamine to prevent sluggish or stuck fermentation.
- Start YSP Nutritional supplement for reactivation of yeast during the rehydration process in sparkling wine production.
- Start ML5 Concentrated nutritional supplement for producing malolactic fermentation starters for Champagne base wines and ciders.
- NUTRICELL AA Nutrient composed of specific yeast derivatives rich in amino acids for controlling alcoholic fermentation and optimising wine aromatic profile.
- Yeast Vit Cider Yeast nutrient designed to correct nutrient deficiencies in cider juice, improving yeast growth rate and preventing slow fermentations in cidermaking.
- Celatom Diatomite Filter Aids Full freshwater diatomite filter aids for beer, wine and cider filtration providing biological, colloidal and flavour stability.
- Caustic Soda Pearl Food-grade cleaning agent for boil-out or hot CIP, containing 99% sodium hydroxide for removal of protein, dextrin and scaling.
- Myron L Ultrapen PT2 pH Meter Handheld digital pH meter with automatic temperature compensation, waterproof housing and one-handed operation for water quality applications.
- Haffmans Digital CO2 Meter (i-DGM) Portable instrument for accurate determination of dissolved CO2 content in beer and carbonated beverages based on Henry's Law.
- Haffmans Portable Optical O2/TPO Meter (o-DGM) Portable optical O2/TPO meter for measuring dissolved oxygen in beer and beverages with high accuracy and stability.
- Haffmans CO2/Dissolved Oxygen Combined Meter (c-DGM) Combined CO2/O2/TPO meter using optical measurement technology for simultaneous dissolved gas analysis in beverages.
- Glass Saccharometer Precision glass hydrometer for measuring specific gravity in brewing and distilling, calibrated at 20°C with double scales.
- Full Water (Liquor) Analysis Complete water analysis covering calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulphate, pH, total hardness, alkalinity and nitrate for breweries and other beverage producers.
- PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Testing PCR-based rapid detection of microorganisms using Pall GeneDisc Cycler for identifying beer spoilage organisms.
- Scrub A Duck Enzymatic Cleaner Enzymatic cleaner for removing existing biofilms and preventing bacterial biofilm reappearance in brewery equipment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Laboratory turnaround times: standard tests 7-10 working days, ATNC/pesticides 2-3 weeks, gluten fast track available
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Murphy & Son
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Murphy & Son technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Murphy & Son partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University of NottinghamcoreMurphy and Son partnered with the University of Nottingham's International Centre for Brewing Science to combine two of the UK's leading resources of brewing education and support. In July 2025, a groundbreaking agreement was announced to create Murphy's Technical Hub, enhancing collaboration between the two organisations and securing the future of brewing science innovation.
- LallemandminorPartnership for product promotions and events. Murphy and Son participates in joint events with Lallemand, including exclusive product launches such as the LalBrew Premium Series Yeast at Mikkeller Brewpub in London.
- Charles FaramminorCollaboration for the Brewery Resource Roadshow event in Leeds, offering brewers free access to industry resources and training.
- National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC)coreNCYC is the UK's premier collection of yeast cultures, holding over 4100 strains collected over 65 years. Murphy and Son supplies wet yeast in partnership with NCYC, providing secure and confidential storage of commercial brewing yeast strains as well as molecular biology services.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
Murphy & Son competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Charles Faram: UK-based hops grower and supplier with a strong craft-brewing customer base. Charles Faram is a Murphy & Son GTM partner (joint Brewery Resource Roadshow) and an emerging peer in adjacent brewing inputs.
Broad incumbents
- Kerry Group: Kerry Group is a global taste and nutrition company supplying food and beverage ingredients at scale — a broad incumbent overlapping with Murphy & Son in fermentation nutrients, flavours, and beverage ingredient systems.
- AB Mauri: AB Mauri is a global yeast and bakery ingredients supplier with beverage yeast and nutrient lines. A broad incumbent competing with Murphy & Son across commercial yeast supply to breweries and distilleries.
- dsm-firmenich: dsm-firmenich is a global nutrition and ingredients major supplying enzymes, yeast extracts, and beverage ingredients. A broad incumbent overlapping with Murphy & Son's brewing enzymes and fermentation nutrient categories.
Direct peers
- Mangrove Jack's: Mangrove Jack's supplies home-brew and craft-brewing ingredient kits, yeast, and equipment with a strong UK/international brand. Comparable in product breadth and target customer (craft and small-scale brewers).
- BSG Craftbrewing: BSG is a major craft brewing ingredients and supplies distributor offering malts, hops, yeast, and adjuncts — directly comparable to Murphy & Son's brewery-supply catalogue and online-shop distribution model.
- Fermentis (Lesaffre): Fermentis is Lesaffre's beverage yeast and nutrient division supplying breweries, wineries, and distilleries worldwide — directly competing with Murphy & Son across brewing, wine, and spirits fermentation inputs.
- Lallemand Brewing: Lallemand is a major global supplier of yeast, fermentation nutrients, and brewing ingredients — directly comparable to Murphy & Son's nutrient and finings portfolio. Lallemand is also a Murphy & Son distribution partner, illustrating direct product overlap.
- White Labs: White Labs supplies pure yeast cultures and fermentation services to breweries and wineries, with in-house lab capabilities. Highly comparable to Murphy & Son's combination of yeast/nutrient products plus laboratory testing services.
- Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group supplies brewing malts, hops, yeast, and adjunct ingredients to craft breweries in North America and internationally — a direct peer in the brewing-ingredients distribution space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Murphy & Son social profiles
Digital presenceMurphy & Son financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Murphy & Son leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Murphy & Son funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Murphy & Son M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Murphy & Son
What does Murphy & Son do?
Murphy & Son manufactures and supplies formulated brewing ingredients, additives and equipment for the brewing, distilling, winemaking and cidermaking industries, including isinglass and kettle finings, yeast nutrients, water treatment solutions (MCDi), fermentation aids and cleaning chemicals. The company also operates an in-house laboratory offering chemistry, microbiological and PCR testing services, tailored quality assurance packages, and free product clarity optimisation for commercial beverage producers.
Is Murphy & Son a public or private company?
Murphy & Son is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Murphy & Son founded?
Murphy & Son was founded in 1887. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Murphy & Son based?
Murphy & Son is headquartered in Nottingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Murphy & Son make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Product Sales - Brewing Supplies are the primary driver. The others are laboratory Testing Services, product Clarity Optimisation and quality Assurance Packages.
Who are Murphy & Son's main competitors?
Charles Faram is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Kerry Group, AB Mauri and dsm-firmenich. Direct peers are Mangrove Jack's, BSG Craftbrewing, Fermentis (Lesaffre), Lallemand Brewing, White Labs and Country Malt Group.
Does Murphy & Son have an API?
No public API is recorded for Murphy & Son.
What industry is Murphy & Son in?
Murphy & Son's product category is Brewing & Beverage Manufacturing Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAJAJAC, Beverage Fermentation Cultures (Beer, Wine, Cider, Kombucha, Fermented Soft Drinks). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2080.