Lovington barbecue entrepreneur wins state investment

A small business does not get any smaller than a 44-year-old man personally delivering his barbecue sauces and seasonings to grocery stores from the back of his truck.

Tearl “TD” Dunlap is used to doing things himself. The Lovington father of three started making his own sauces for personal use 15 years ago because what he found in the grocery aisles simply didn’t measure up.

“I was really picky,” he said. “I really didn’t like a lot of what was in the store. There was so much thick, ketchupy barbecue sauce, I just had to make it better.”

Dunlap has been a service manager for Toyota and a heavy equipment operator in the Permian Basin oil fields among other occupations. In 2018, he decided to bottle and sell three of his barbecue sauces with the goal of raising funds to restore his classic red Chevy Chevelle.

That was the genesis of TD’s Brew and BBQ, a brand that eventually found its way into hundreds of stores in multiple states, quickly outgrowing its first packing facility and moving to a facility in Texas that Dunlap said is also straining to keep up. His sauces have won prominent food awards. The Chevelle was restored and Dunlap’s business kept growing. 

Today, his online store features seasonings such as smoked chile salt, barrel-aged bourbon rub and a spice mix named Carne Sutra. His original barbecue sauce is featured alongside his Atomic Pineapple, Southern Mustard and Cherry Chipotle sauces. And Dunlap is now a consultant to other startups.

In the same spirit that led him to produce his own product, Dunlap envisions building his own manufacturing facility and distribution center and bringing it under one roof. Last year, he bought a disused commercial building in Lovington, which is set to be demolished this month to make room for a new 5,000-square-foot facility.

Now, the New Mexico Economic Development Department is investing in Dunlap’s business. Recently, the department announced a $150,000 grant from Local Economic Development Act funding used to help private businesses with building and infrastructure costs. The money will be distributed through reimbursements provided the business meets targets and benchmarks over five years, with the ultimate aim of creating 16 full-time jobs — right in Dunlap’s hometown.

City commissioners have kicked in an additional $20,000 in the city’s own LEDA money and also discounted the land purchase. In a written statement, Lovington Mayor Robbie Roberts said the expansion of Dunlap’s business in town “represents meaningful growth and new economic opportunity for our city.”

“The point is to bring manufacturing into this area and to create another industry with the same kind of culture that we have here,” Dunlap said.

If the project is successful, the EDD projects TD’s Brew and BBQ will produce an economic impact of $14 million over the next decade.

Economic Development Secretary Rob Black, a Lovington native himself, celebrated a project he said would “bring the taste of southeast New Mexico to the rest of the country while growing good jobs at home. … TD’s has now put Lovington on the national food map.”

Dunlap’s first targets include opening his facility within the next year, with three to five employees on the floor. The new building plans include a retail shop, patio space for classes and events, a production plant and warehouse.

“I’ve dedicated anything and everything I can to the business,” Dunlap said. “I’m just trying to be the dad, support my family, and not just my family: I want to help other people support their families as well.”

Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.