Before his food-brand success, Dragon's Den entrepreneur Levi Roots was a reggae musician.
Levi Roots is the stage name of Keith Valentine Graham, a Jamaican-British musician and entrepreneur. He performed reggae music before becoming widely known for the Reggae Reggae Sauce brand. His music career was part of the public identity he brought to the Dragon's Den pitch.
The connection between music and food was not incidental. Roots used Caribbean cultural references, reggae imagery and his own performance persona to make the sauce distinctive. That combination helped the product stand out in a crowded food market and made the televised pitch memorable to viewers.
The word “Roots” can lead people to assume that Levi Roots was originally a chef or restaurant professional. Food became central to his later business career, but his earlier public career was as a musician. He had also sold sauce before appearing on the programme, so Dragon's Den was a major investment and publicity moment rather than the first time he had ever made or marketed the product.