Levi Roots received £50,000 for 40% of Reggae Reggae Sauce after appearing on Dragon's Den.
Levi Roots, whose real name is Keith Valentine Graham, presented his Caribbean-style barbecue sauce to the Dragons in 2007. The pitch became one of the programme's most memorable success stories because it combined a distinctive food product with Roots's musical identity and personal brand.
Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh agreed to invest the £50,000 in exchange for a 40% stake. The deal shown on television helped attract attention to the sauce, which went on to become a widely distributed British food product under the Reggae Reggae brand.
The figure is sometimes confused with the company's later value or with the percentage offered in other televised pitches. The original Dragon's Den agreement was specifically £50,000 for 40%, although later commercial developments changed the scale of the business.