Dyersburg, TN - January, 21, 2026 - Dyersburg native Mike Dunevant, owner of P3 Pickles, is keeping it spicy for his customer base with an extensive offering of homemade seasoned pickles that keeps locals coming back for more.While Dunevant has been making pickles for family and friends most of his life, his journey with P3 Pickles didn't begin until 2024, when he was asked by a coworker to create a special order.
"He grows Carolina Reapers in his garden,” Dunevant explained. “He said [to me], 'Mike, I appreciate your pickles. They're really great. Would you be willing to make me a special batch?' I told him I would be happy to make those, but I wouldn't eat them. They're going to be terrible. So, I did. He gave me some fresh Carolina Reapers, and I made the same recipe that I had been making and perfecting for awhile. Then I brought them to work. I brought about a dozen jars, and they were very popular. All my coworkers said I should try selling them. I thought there was no way I was going to be able to sell them."
Despite his skepticism, Dunevant decided to take the product to the market to see how it would perform. His first event was a pop-up market held at The Mill Workspace in downtown Dyersburg. The pickles were an immediate hit.
"I sold 30 jars on my first day," said Dunevant.
Since that day, Dunevant's home-based business has expanded its offering, with a future goal of creating a production facility within the next five years. Products are popularly found at A Cut Above, located at 100 Community Park Rd. Suite G in Dyersburg, TN; The Way We Were Antiques, located at 395 US Hwy. 51 Bypass in Dyersburg, TN; Southern Charm Resale, located at 411 W. Court St. in downtown Dyersburg; All Things Purty, located at 112 East Main St. in Newbern.
Dunevant says customers can choose from one of seven flavors: dill, garlic, jalapeno, habanero, scorpion, ghost, and reaper.
Aside from Dunevant's creative labels, he says what sets his product apart from others like it on the market is all in the flavor.
"We don't lean into the saltier side of the pickles. It really lets the flavor come through. We use the whole pepper when it comes to the ghost peppers and the reapers," he explained. "I've never gotten a bad review on my pickles."
Dunevant says the success of P3 Pickles isn't his alone. He is joined by his sister, son, and nieces, who help keep the business running smoothly.
"They've been extremely helpful, especially when it got far busier than I expected," he shared. "When I first started P3, I was making pickles every other Saturday. Then it became every Saturday. Now, it's every Saturday and Wednesday. That's just at the few stores that I have. Once I get to a certain position, I hope to expand to a full facility where I can have help."
"I've never owned my own business before," Dunevant admitted. "I've never worked for myself before. That's always something my father did when I was growing up. He was a painter. He always worked for himself. He was very happy to not have a boss. It’s truly amazing to be in total control of the aspect of it. I love the idea of being able to create a job someday for someone else to start off and learn things. That would be amazing."
To learn more about P3 Pickles, visit their website at www.p3pickles.com, where you can find recipes and products.
About The Mill Workspace: The Mill Workspace, a DBA of Northwest Tennessee Entrepreneurship, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)3 entrepreneur center located in Dyersburg, TN and focused on serving entrepreneurs in the nine counties of Northwest Tennessee. They help businesses through one-on-one counseling, workshops, and multi-week programs all designed to help businesses in the region start up and grow.
Programs at The Mill are funded in part by a grant from LaunchTN.
