Levi Roots secured investment for Reggae Reggae Sauce after appearing on the British television series Dragons' Den.
Roots, whose real name is Keith Valentine Graham, appeared on the programme in 2007 to pitch his Caribbean jerk barbecue sauce. The performance made him one of the show's best-known entrepreneurs and helped turn a family recipe into a widely recognised commercial brand.
The sauce was presented as a product with Jamaican musical and cultural identity, and its branding became a major part of its appeal. Roots reached a deal with Dragons Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, although the eventual business arrangements and later commercial development involved more detail than the television handshake alone suggests.
A common mistake is to treat Levi Roots as the product's original name. Levi Roots is the entrepreneur and stage name; Reggae Reggae Sauce is the brand and product. The success of the pitch also illustrates that Dragons' Den can provide publicity as well as potential capital, even though any on-screen agreement still requires subsequent checks.