DeSoto Magazine January 2021

to celebrate with all five varieties of Tom’s Tiny Kitchen cheese: Classic Pimento, Chipotle Pimento, Classic White Dip, Spicy Thai Dip, and Chipotle Bacon Dip.

All Tom’s Tiny Kitchen products are made in a tiny kitchen — a 1,500-squarefoot brick building in east Memphis. Trucks deliver fresh, pure Wisconsin cheese, real mayonnaise from Missouri, and the finest pimentos from Moody Dunbar Company in Johnson City, Tenn.

“We’ve always made our cheese for families, not for commercial business,” explains Flournoy. “We could probably cut costs by using cheaper ingredients, but we would never do that — we’re not willing to sacrifice the quality.”

Flournoy jokingly warns customers that his delicious cheese might be habit forming. “I don’t drink alcohol, so every night for happy hour I sit down with a bowl of my own cheese dip and a bag of Tostitos. I’m pretty sure I’m addicted.”

Flournoy’s commitment to quality and integrity shines through in other ways as well. Over the years, he has taken what he’s learned through this journey and shared it with struggling, under-represented entrepreneurs. He has happily mentored dozens of small business owners, especially those with food products when they've sought his expertise.

“The one constant that I tell [them] is that as they expand their businesses, there will always be pressure to lower the price,” he explains. “But my philosophy is that you should never sacrifice quality for price. There are always ways to cut costs without giving up the integrity of your product.”

Flournoy’s future appears as golden as the cheddar in his dip. Tom’s Tiny Kitchen delectable dips and spreads are currently available in 250 stores nationwide — including 19 stores in the greater Memphis area — and Kroger and Walmart stores in 13 states (more stores and states coming soon).

“I’d love to be in every one of the Walmart stores and Krogers nationwide,” Flournoy says with a gleam in his eye. “It would mean expanding out of this building, of course, and the kitchen would no longer be ‘tiny.’ But we set out to make the best66 DeSoto