HUNT Tech: SW La. startup catches the eye of the governor

Published 4:21 pm Friday, August 1, 2025

Southwest Louisiana startup HUNT Tech, the makers of scent- and DEET-free insect repellent sprays and lotions, is making a name for itself across the region and around the country — and the governor of Louisiana is taking notice.

Gov. Jeff Landry declared Aug. 1 HUNT Day in Louisiana, honoring the company’s contributions to “entrepreneurial innovation and rural business expansion across the state.”

The winners of last year’s Gator Tank business pitch competition, HUNT co-founders Gabriel Fontenot and his brother-in-law, Burns Mulhearn, said the initial idea behind the business was to help hunters stay protected without scent.

That goal was met and then some.

“Growing up in Southwest Louisiana, being an outdoorsman is a way of life. It’s part of the culture,” Fontenot said. “But you’re surrounded by mosquitoes and other insects. We thought, ‘What can we do? How can we get innovative in this space?’ That’s what started the whole journey.”

Over two years, Fontenot and Mulhearn developed a repellent that won’t damage the equipment used by hunters while protecting them in Sportsman’s Paradise.

“It will not damage any of your gear – including plastics, metals, leather. It’s not going to corrode your rifle. It’s not going to damage anything you have,” Fontenot said. “Also, you’re not going to notice you have it on.”

Today, HUNT Refined Repellent is offered in a growing list of retail locations — including Nichols Dry Goods and Lake Charles Tackle and will soon be on shelves in eight Stine Home & Yard locations.

It also has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seal of approval and its endorsement of 14 hours of protection.

“It’s been a long road,” Fontenot said. “We won the competition back in October and we were anticipating launching in January but we had a long, uphill battle with the EPA and getting all of our licenses and manufacturing lined up and, more importantly, figuring out how we were going to keep a steady supply.”

The company hit the ground running and began taking orders on the Fourth of July and already are sending shipments to customers in Pennsylvania and Montana.

“Our focus is building a very strong Louisiana brand,” Fontenot said. “We’re focusing very heavily on the I-10 corridor and then we’ll eventually move up north, as well.”

While the HUNT leadership team works out of the Henning SEED Center on the McNeese State University campus, they have been renovating a vacant Dollar General store in Elton — Fontenot’s hometown — to set up a packaging and distribution facility.

“We bought the property in Elton to really invest a lot of money into the community there,” Fontenot said. “We’re a Louisiana company through and through.”

Fontenot said the products are bottled in West Palm Beach, Fla. — the closest EPA-certified facility to Louisiana — and are packaged here in Southwest Louisiana.

“I think people underestimate the size and importance of this market,” Mulhearn said. “What we started out trying to do was to help hunters but this also helps workers, families, anyone spending time outdoors. You can put it on every day and have protection all day.”

Mulhearn said the repellent is made from a derivative of a black pepper plant.

“It’s safer and it doesn’t have the toxicity that other products have,” Mulhearn said. “It’s better all around.”

Since January, the company has been developing its team and go-to-market strategy. Part of the team has included three McNeese interns — Jake Armand, Jagger Morvant and Kaden Marshall.

“From the jump I really liked the fact that this is a family owned company. Family has always been a huge part of my life,” said Armand, a business administration major. “I really like that also from the jump they really have valued our opinions. They would ask us questions and we’re involved in a lot of conversations — which I think not only helped the company but helped me learn a lot.”

Armand said his internship has been hands-on with tasks such as marketing and sales.

“We got to see how hard it was to start a business in Louisiana but then we got to reap the rewards and launch the company and we’re doing way better than we expected. It’s only up from here.”

His enthusiasm hasn’t gone unnoticed. Armand, who graduates in December, was recently promoted to general manager.

Morvant said his internship has given him the opportunity to dip his toe in marketing, cost accounting, package orders and sales meetings.

“It’s been cool to see something from the very early beginning at a start-up level actually get going, launch products, make money,” Morvant, an accounting major, said. “We’ve been able to go all across the state trying to spread the name and it’s cool to see where it has gone in such a short amount of time.”

Morvant said Fontenot and Mulhearn have “put their money where their mouth is” by keeping the company local and hiring local people.

“We’re right across the street from McNeese, working at the SEED Center, that’s what it’s there for,” Morvant said. “It’s a good opportunity for other businesses to learn and see that there are opportunities here and there’s good students they can hire who are already here. You don’t have to hire from out of state.”

Fontenot and Mulhearn said the governor’s proclamation came as a surprise to them.

“We opened the mailbox yesterday and we noticed it,” Fontenot said. “We’re not too sure how it happened, but we’re thrilled to have the support of the governor and our community.”

Fontenot said it’s “a powerful moment for our company and for rural innovation across Louisiana.”

“This recognition isn’t just for us — it’s for all the entrepreneurs and innovators in small towns doing big things,” Fontenot said.