Levi Roots sought £50,000 on Dragons' Den for 20% of his sauce business.
Roots made the request during his 2007 appearance, when he presented the product that became Reggae Reggae Sauce. His pitch asked the investors to value the business while also demonstrating the sauce and explaining its distinctive Caribbean positioning.
The televised negotiation is remembered because the final arrangement differed from the opening request. Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh offered the £50,000, but for a larger combined share than Roots initially proposed. The deal is therefore best understood as a negotiation rather than a simple grant of the amount for exactly 20%.
A frequent mistake is to quote only the eventual percentage or to merge the opening ask with the final deal. The question asks for the amount and equity Roots requested at the start of his pitch: fifty thousand pounds for twenty percent. The product later became associated with a much larger food brand.