Dragon's Den investors offered Levi Roots £50,000 for Reggae Reggae Sauce.
Roots presented his sauce business on Dragon's Den in 2007. The pitch helped turn a product associated with his music and food career into a much larger commercial opportunity. The investment offer was linked to a 40% stake, making the negotiation notable both for its cash value and for the ownership requested.
The deal involved Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. Reggae Reggae Sauce subsequently became the flagship product of a broader food business marketed under the Reggae Reggae brand. Roots's appearance is often remembered as one of the programme's most successful pitches because the business gained substantial visibility after broadcasting.
The £50,000 figure is sometimes confused with the percentage offered or with later estimates of the company's value. Those are different figures: the cash investment was £50,000, while the equity arrangement concerned ownership in the business.