Levi Roots agreed his Dragon's Den investment for Reggae Reggae Sauce in 2007.
Roots appeared on the BBC programme during its third series, which was broadcast in 2007. He asked for £50,000 in return for 20 percent of his company, and the on-screen agreement was made with Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. The final commercial arrangement involved the investors taking a larger share than originally requested.
The pitch helped turn a product with roots in carnival food culture into a nationally distributed brand. Roots had sold the sauce at Notting Hill Carnival before the television appearance, giving the business a real trading history rather than only an idea.
The year is important because the episode came before the brand's major expansion into supermarkets and wider product lines. It is also one of the clearest examples of the programme's power to combine investment with national publicity.