The Dragon's Den deal for Reggae Reggae Sauce offered the investors 40 percent of the business.
Levi Roots presented the sauce on the programme in 2007 and agreed to give 40% equity in exchange for a £50,000 investment. Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh backed the business together, making the pitch one of the show's most frequently remembered food deals.
The sauce had Caribbean roots and was based on the kind of flavours Roots had used in cooking and catering. After the programme, the brand gained national distribution and became a prominent example of how television exposure could accelerate a small food company.
The equity figure is often misremembered because television edits and later business developments can obscure the original negotiation. The pitch's key terms were £50,000 for 40%, not a loan or a royalty arrangement.