Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh offered Levi Roots £50,000 for his Dragon's Den sauce.
Levi Roots presented Reggae Reggae Sauce on the programme in 2007. The pitch attracted two investors, Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, who agreed to invest £50,000 in exchange for a 40% share of the business. The deal is frequently cited as one of the show's most successful investments because the brand later developed into a substantial food business.
The amount is sometimes confused with the equity percentage or with later estimates of the brand's value. Those are different figures: £50,000 was the cash investment agreed during the televised pitch, while 40% described the ownership stake sought by the investors.
The product was later marketed under the Levi Roots name and expanded beyond the original sauce. Its success illustrates why a Dragon's Den deal should not be judged only by the size of the initial cheque: branding, retail distribution and follow-on growth can transform a modest early investment.