BEST PITCHES: Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae pitch lures Peter Jones! | Dragons' Den - BBC

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Watch the BBC first on iPlayer 👉 bbc.in/iPlayer-Home Entrepreneurs have come up with many weird and wonderful ways to separate the Dragons from their cash over the years, from serenading them with a song to terrifying them into submission with a mocked-up zombie attack. This episode features some of the most impressive - as well as toe-curling, badly misjudged - pitches.
One bold entrepreneur is hoping to relax the Dragons by coaxing them into a voice-coaching massage chair. But has he got the measure of his audience right? And will his pitch end in riches or rages? Another hopes that flattery and red roses are enough to seduce the Dragons into investing in his musical gift service. But it seems there is one sure-fire way to the Dragons’ wallets and that is through their stomachs, as proved by one of the Den’s most successful entrepreneurs, Levi Roots.
Dragons' Den: Best Ever Pitches | Series 1 Episode 5 BBC
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[@papabear_cdxl4699]

2007 is when Levi Roots pitched his business deal before the Dragons, here we are 13 years later in 2020 and Reggae Reggae Sauce is still on the shelves. Any comments on that Duncan?? 🤣

[@HassanKhan-ml7yu]

45 million pound worth

[@parkender1833]

Along with food, and drinks. The man done good.

[@GeneralGrizzy]

Love to see it

[@rucu8311]

@@GeneralGrizzy crisps too, man has done really well.

[@gerbear3227]

Tuesday evening 7.50pm on 13th April 2021.....and.........I am eating a sandwich as i type this with various meats and salads and SMOOTHERED in YEP you guessed it...............REGGAE REGGAE sauce :) lol Duncan and Deborah........would you like a bite ;) lol

[@masonsaw8104]

The cool thing about this story is that they would've blown him out the water if he had a bad demeanour as he got his figures wrong. Manners and politeness cost nothing and get you far in life. I'm so pleased for him, what an inspirational man

[@lorcster6694]

Good point 👍

[@skirk248]

The guy made me want his sauce

[@ranya_mohammed]

That's a great point!

[@blayzertrayl8929]

True. Getting the figures wrong has been an absolute death knell for other entrepreneurs in the den. Dragons usually don't want to deal with them after that. They saw passed it on this occasion, perhaps due to Levy Roots charisma and honesty.

[@dannydorko7075]

inspirational? He seems like a dishonest guy who only cares about money. He lied about it being his grandmothers recipe and that he had been selling it for 15 years. It's also possible that he stole the recipe from a friend. The friend sued but lost because there wasn't enough evidence from either of them.

[@Levi_Skardsen]

Still the most successful deal in Dragon's Den history.

[@barsnack7999]

Most successful recipe steal "Roots gave evidence to the High Court and admitted that previous claims made by him on Dragons Den and in marketing for his product, including the claim that the recipe was his grandmother's, were untrue"

[@joshr920]

@@barsnack7999 Who cares

[@patmustardlive]

@@joshr920 you do. Because you took time to reply numb nuts

[@Wally-H]

@@joshr920 Depends if you have any moral fibre. He took the recipe out of a book and co-made it with someone who counted him as a friend, to sell on their burger van. Levi did the dirty on him and took it to The Den, claiming it to be his own. Greed over friendship - it's a moral argument, everyone will have a different opinion on it. I think it's clear from this comments section that many people have no clue any of that even happened - Levi got away with his misdemeanours.

[@monikadunns6512]

@@barsnack7999 SOUR GRAPE. Now Levi is a millionare and you are still a damn pauper. Get over it becuase it is now 2023 and his sauce is still on the market.

[@lukem118]

Peter: I don't want to take too much equity away from you because you need to earn a living. Levi: *makes £45 million*

[@AwesomeMetalBands]

Peter is very considerate. 😊

[@georgedale4360]

When you fail maffs in school

[@joredmusic7461]

@@georgedale4360 the misspelling is what made me chuckle.

[@dabin88]

He makes it Poland to take advantage of low production costs and maximize profits

[@onthetrowel1895]

Well Peter made 20%

[@abzrollin9800]

Love it when some dragons say “there’s no business here” and the entrepreneurs prove them wrong! 😎

[@alexanderbeck7953]

Exactly. Here we are in 2022 and I love these sauces. Use them a lot and they last ages. Peace and love, god bless.

[@TkrzTT]

Well, the dragons know what they’re talking about due to their experience however they do get things wrong as the are still human

[@gelofshower]

It's literally in my corner store haha "no business"

[@abzrollin9800]

@@gelofshower mans a millionaire today and that’s what matters. Success is key 👏

[@maverickmic]

He got a bid so his success is tied to the Dragon, if he'd gone away done it solo your comment is right. Love seeing this comment which is always captain hindsight (though not in this case)

[@emileigh6524]

Nice re-watching knowing how successful his sauces became.

[@circularminds3605]

Only sad he didn't asked them to lower their share after the investment was repaid

[@charlietricque5611]

Levi Roots is a total legend, what a lovely man. And NOW many moons later a very rich man. Well done Levi you deserved it man.

[@pinky-ud1rt]

Amen to that x

[@chrismarshall7001]

Right on, challenges are great

[@Gunn27]

Duncan Banantyne 2007- “There is no future in this, am out” Me 2020: "Cool, Reggae Reggae Sauce at my local supermarket, definitely buying this shiznit. Mmm tastes wonderful."

[@hmq9052]

Shiznit? You absolute spoon

[@AwesomeMetalBands]

Peter Jones is a phenomenal philanthropist he doesn't just look at balance sheets and figures he knows when he sees a talented entrepreneur and great product.

[@BigWes95]

Isn't that the opposite of a philanthropist?

[@nu-alphacarliste6888]

@@BigWes95 Lmao

[@GalvakzaMusic]

That's not what philanthropist means

[@jamesfield1674]

Think you mean entrepreneur

[@jordanbeech12]

It was the the message behind the brad

[@kennethndubueze4902]

Peter Jones saying "I like impossible challenges" made me love him the more. Showed me how much of a competitive never give up dragon he is.

[@bolshevikproductions]

Can’t believe it not custard.

[@paulbarton-oz8mw]

Probably why he's the only billionaire in the room.

[@laurakojobeecham4872]

Had the pleasure of meeting Levi two weeks ago, he is a humble, lovely human being. Deserves everything he has worked for

[@samanthadeer9458]

He's now on big brother x

[@dr.doctor7055]

Exactly the second Peter says "I've been sitting here for 10 minutes" the clip has been playing for exactly 10:00 minutes. My man Peter is literally Chronos the God of time.

[@SctLewis]

ahahahaha I've just realised this

[@manwhotookatit5666]

Editor is the real god here

[@shaneglover2404]

Technically he has been sitting there longer I doubt he sat down the second this video started 👀

[@dr.doctor7055]

@@shaneglover2404 you must be fun at parties

[@shaneglover2404]

Hilarious never heard that before

[@lukem4580]

‘My real name is Keith’. 🤣😂 Even if this guy did originally steal the recipe, man is he likeable!

[@andrewna7362]

He came to do a talk in my school he got the recipe from his grandma back in the Caribbean

[@anthonyobrien6648]

​@@andrewna7362Not according to his testimony in court documents he didn't.

[@wayneerichsen]

​​@anthonyobrien6648 He won the court case, so he didn't admit anything, Otherwise, he would have lost, wouldn't he?

[@planeguy95]

“Levi there’s no business in this”. How wrong you were Duncan.

[@kambge]

this guy is an absolute legend. And the sauce is banging as well

[@callingdrwoodrue2339]

Still get it. Remember they use to do ready meals and pizza with Sainsbury's. He's my favourite to win cbb

[@dairymilkbaraddict90]

I can't get enough of it

[@MrIlleism]

Coming back to this classic. I admire Peter for going with his gut instinct and giving this man the opportunity.

[@banbrotam]

One of the best pitches ever. Knew his product and knew how to produce it. And most importantly sounded credible. He deserves all the success he has subsequently have.

[@AllenHart999]

He is now worth 45 million. What an amazing guy.

[@lzst1906]

13+ years later and reggae reggae sauce still active in the UK

[@TrimbyGaming]

And many other items! One of which is his Caribbean crush juice that I've got right this second haha

[@EmilyESPNh]

Deb: it’s not going to be on a big enough scale for me I’m out. Oops 🤣🤣🤣

[@stormhawk3319]

Levi’s personality and charm I think won him the deal as much as the sauce

[@TkrzTT]

Yeah

[@Wally-H]

Indeed. It's worth watching the parody of this that Paul Whitehouse and Harry Enfield did in their Harry and Paul show - hilarious, and spot on.

[@Gamertag5714]

I think this is the best pitch in the whole of dragons den.!

[@blackchrysler]

Also kirstey henshaw had a great one too

[@justtry8552]

@@blackchrysler my favourite

[@szymeklawik7636]

Just bought a bottle for the same price £1.50 in my local supermarket - 2021 Hats off to you Levi!!!

[@sweeperboy]

It's remarkable not to have gone up in price with inflation in 14 years. Hats off indeed - hopefully he's still making a profit though?

[@user-bo3mp8un6c]

@@sweeperboy They wouldn't be selling at a loss now would they. The guys is worth £45 million.

[@Jackalad620]

"now wait for it 2 and a half million litres" still creases me to this day what a mistake

[@lukem118]

Now he is probz doing that a week.

[@MarxistKnight]

Levi’s ringtone on his gold-plated custom made super iPhone plus is the recording of Duncan “Levi, there’s no business in this. Levi, there’s no business in this. Levi, ther...” “Hello?”

[@aaronhurst4379]

Hahaha

[@respknloyal4992]

From rags to riches amazing journey

[@lurkzie]

Rag-gae Rag-gae* to riches

[@tombstonerforever9374]

@@lurkzie Brilliant

[@leesanders6610]

The most famous pitch in the history of Dragon's Den...................... and the best too!!! Levi is a multi-millionaire now, and that's because he is so marketable, and he became a star.

[@jonjohnson1978.]

Most successful but there have been better pitches

[@longq5198]

Some entrepreneurs forget that 60% of millions is a lot better than 80% to 90% of a couple hundred thousands.

[@DiiZeh_]

Still one of my favourite sauces👌🏻

[@neomalapane983]

Peter is a genius. Period.

[@Wally-H]

No he isn't LOL.

[@POPE_FRANC1S]

There is a reason why he is the most successful our of all of them

[@user-lz7kq8ne9e]

​@@Wally-H dumb thing to say when Peter is a billionaire lol u can't even make 1% of his income

[@Wally-H]

@@user-lz7kq8ne9e You have no idea what my income is. the fact he is rich doesn't make him a genius. Vladimir Putin is a billionaire and he isn't a genius either.

[@MummyDiaries024]

Well said

[@ajakuk1]

I love this sauce.

[@Not_Livid]

Me too

[@AInUnitedKingdom]

I’m having it as we speak. It’s vegan too.

[@buster8847]

Legend from nothing to a success levi has really come up in the world. Big respect to him 👏

[@Ayowie]

Now he has a net worth £45 million! Amazing, seems like a nice guy and the sauce is good

[@emmyelijah7395]

A moment to acknowledge Richard Farleigh here too. People seem to think this was all about Peter. Richard was, in my opinion, the best of them all.

[@Tommybotham]

Truly a class act. And the one time where he was pissed off due to a pitch, you felt why.

[@perrytheplatypus7827]

You this man is probably richer then some of the dragons 😆😆😆😆😆😂

[@frenchfries2378]

*Man pitched with a jingle!* 😂 *Never seen that before* 🥳

[@engledelaffety4380]

He is now richer than 2 out of 4 dragons...

[@teoteo6185]

His networth is still lower than all of them ?

[@erosion271]

@@teoteo6185 net worth means assets but in terms of money in the bank he's way richer than some of the dragons

[@fieldy409]

@@erosion271 If that's true he should be buying assets like stocks that he can turn back to money fast if he needs it.

[@fin4204]

2 out of 4 dragons does countdown

[@pinky-ud1rt]

He is

[@MrMclovin97]

Peter Jones...brilliant businessman

[@andrewstotty1146]

That's why he is on the panel

[@rossi180]

My dad has been buying the stuff ever since this episode, he gave it a go because of the show, and loved the taste even more I quite like it too

[@zoe-mv6ji]

its actually hilarious how theo said he's got very little hope to get into supermarkets and I've literally grown up always seeing that sauce on the supermarket shelves ...damn

[@Wally-H]

Weirdly, at that time the supermarket shelves were stuffed full of Chile sauces but not a decent jerk sauce. There was a glaring gap in the market for this. Theo and Duncan couldn't see it, but Peter Jones could.

[@TrimbyGaming]

Drinking his Caribbean crush while watching this lol Arguably the best presentation I've seen

[@keelieinwonderland]

He’s such a nice man

[@edjcastro]

Arguably the most successful deal to date in DD. Well done Levi!

[@heavenly3735]

Peter was the bravest dragon.

[@eviemeow]

Eating reggae reggae with some vegan nuggets whilst watching this nomnomnomnom

[@doctorpanigrahi9975]

I have never been to the Gym :)

[@jcrossan1351]

It’s even better with real nuggets

[@user-eh1gc7xo7q]

@@MichaelWatson21600 if you say so pal

[@MichaelGallagher97]

@@doctorpanigrahi9975 name checks out

[@zigzagnemesist5074]

I always come back and watch this whenever I’m eating the sauce

[@michaelhawkins7389]

Interesting fact Keith Valentine Graham "Levi Roots" ( use to know Bob Marley before he passed away, and was a friend of Bob's when he lived in London in 1972

[@whentheyseeus8178]

Peter Jones is one of the smartest and most confident businessmen I have ever seen

[@rubusidaeus8913]

Levi is so humble

[@chrismarshall7001]

Emotional I was, knowing where he is now. Love it.

[@flutterbyblue3639]

Well done Keith, what an inspiration x

[@samisnotsolanky8465]

bet duncan is regretting his decision now that Levi Roots is now worth £45 million 😄

[@El-Mac795]

I'm still having his sauce to this day and still singing it too. 👌😆

[@whtyasay9.]

Spoke to this gentleman on the phone today. What a respectable, kind individual.

[@zuprArpuz]

He made *£50 million* quid off the sauce😂

[@sonny199]

I remember he came to our school in sheffield well back in 2009 to our business & enterprise day, he was walking inside the school with shades on and was the coolest aura walking around 😂😂

[@lightsaberlordp373]

Levi is definitely a very passionate person

[@tristanfareel7184]

Legend 👊🏻 I came here for respect. I have reggae reggae sause in my ham and cheese sandwich every day at work

[@bluebear3550]

ew

[@pinky-ud1rt]

Nows a millonaie bless him... what a great guy xx

[@vanlifenomad]

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” ― Nelson Mandela

[@dannyjeffery1795]

"Reggae reggae sauce" -Levi

[@Baba_Yaga_87]

He made it huggggeeeeeeeee.. props to the man

[@POPE_FRANC1S]

I'm watching this while eating food with Reggae Reggae sauce. ITS SO NICE!!!

[@gorillachilla]

Peter jones is a legend

[@AwesomeMetalBands]

Peter Jones is a phenomenal philanthropist he looks beyond the balance sheets and figures and sees a great entrepreneur and product.

[@user-bo3mp8un6c]

@@AwesomeMetalBands He is also a very very greedy person who will attempt to fleece people for as much as he can get away with.

[@RG-lq3bz]

@@user-bo3mp8un6c welcome to the big bad world

[@Keaks_]

Love this stuff, I'm glad dude did well.

[@conorryan3035]

He deserves every red cent he made and continues to make from this sauce. The fact that he seems very likable and his sauce is excellent (it's a staple in my fridge) helps of course!

[@firstnamesecondname5341]

Levi should become a dragon himself,

[@pinky-ud1rt]

Deffernalty x

[@duncan3932]

He’s better than these people

[@irrelevance3859]

Yeah, look at how successful he is!

[@bigman443]

I’m just sitting here laughing at the judges while eating a meal with some reggae reggae sauce.

[@thaonlysavage5029]

17 years later, levi Roots has become a 45 millions pound company. 👏

[@BMakabre]

And to think this moment also eventually lead to a wonderful cookbook - Levi Roots Reggae Reggae cookbook - which I have really enjoyed cooking from. Summer has been refreshing thanks to the Easy Coconut Ice Creme recipe, and two years in a row I have baked the West Indian Christmas Cake which is THE BEST Christmas Cake (nice and moist with full flavor - not like too many other Christmas Cakes which go dry after 1 day) and the only Christmas Cake my father actually enjoyed - looking forward to baking that again this year (make it a nice tradition).

[@jordanmcdonald7990]

I've not watched this in years. I'm so happy I came across it again 👌👌👌🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@SharifUddin-yk7uz]

So happy he has done well

[@ffjd1]

Never give up, countless success stories from sharktank, dragons den, other avenues, where they say there is no future in this biz, plenty of these biznesses go onto to massive success, just because someone has made a fortune, doesnt always necessarily mean they are right.... Fair play to levi roots, the sauce is outstanding...many blessings 🙏

[@alemanmx1980]

Actually, do give up. We tend to idolize the 1/1,000,000 people that actually make it, thinking everybody can with "hard work, determination and never giving up". Please, if it doesn't make sense, if you're losing money & time, re-evaluate your position and analyze whether it's worthwhile to continue, if its salvageable, or if its time to take the L. Do-not-say-never-give-up, be smart about it.

[@deanovonbeano7727]

What an amazing human being Levi roots is you deserve all the success you have had gifted to you. Well played sir 👏

[@chastv7755]

Look how far he’s come

[@nomorelies1867]

I like to see good people win in life so this was awesome to watch

[@jasondonaldson7412]

Used to make his drinks his Caribbean crush was amazing

[@1220b]

Got to say it. Reggae Reggae sauce is pretty dam good. The crisps are rare to find but they so nice. Well done Levi sit back and enjoy the money.

[@chrismarshall7001]

I love the look of no interest when he comes up the stairs, priceless. I'm about to work with the company that distributes the Reggae Reggae sauce, small world, or work with some colleagues.

[@sonnyrose965]

I love this pitch and I absolutely adore Reggae Reggae Sauce

[@Palios33]

I've order it and shipped over to Cyprus! Loved it!!

[@ianrae1546]

Duncan: “There’s no business in this” Deborah: “It’s not going to be on a big enough scale for me” Whoopsy 😂😂😂

[@tonyjames7274]

Now reggae reggae sauce is all over the shelves and he's a very rich man

[@jakerainey483]

Yeah love the sauce

[@TerryVibes]

Nice track! Blessings

[@TheB920]

So happy for him. One love.

[@pescharliearchive]

'There's no business in this' *Reggae Reggae Sauce proceeds to become a household name and the tastiest sauce on the market*

[@madmeerkat1158]

A wonderful man and a wonderful product!

[@khemkhadka4464]

Best episode ♥️♥️

[@MF-nq9tk]

They even have reggae reggae crisps now and i like them :)

[@Wally-H]

The peanuts are better

[@Nixter1974007]

He's brilliant 🤣 sauces are amazing too 😋

[@airguntherapy8665]

So glad for the guy and the sauce is bloody lovely.

[@Hamzawalhid]

“Theres no business in this “ Whos laughing now 🤣

[@Rdon_Ranger]

I’ll never forget this episode, I was watching with both parents eating my dinner. This is what made me like watching dragons den (even tho I didn’t understand as a kid) 🤣

[@user-rj8gd9of1p]

Duncan like there’s no business in this whilst I am here eating Levi roots sauce and drinking Levi roots Caribbean crush

[@chefclayclay3796]

Levy roots a sweat but he know worth 45 million all need is somebody to believe in u. Good job roots

[@elliepantry858]

Levi*

[@beigi8637]

@@elliepantry858 Liwiy

[@pinky-ud1rt]

Amen

[@hungryrefrigerator5784]

So humble.

[@china5746]

currently reading his book that's why I'm here 😍

[@aprilsmith7760]

Was just watching levi on james martins Saturday kitchen it’s now2023 and he’s still a babe and Reggae reggae is worth millions:)

[@AlfredGuajardo]

Levi you're an inspiration to so many people, Keep the momentum going, (Author Alfred Guajardo)

[@DigitallyRemasteredMusic]

I always expect to see 2 little pigeons peeking through those windows in the background

[@sl2547]

Can we just say that the sauce itself is absolutely lovely!

[@caesar8683]

Not really. It tastes just like HP brown sauce

[@saiyaniam]

@@caesar8683 dude, comon, it's got more character than that.

[@davidandnaomibhadreshwar958]

Levi Roots: Tomato ketchup is boring, no flavour, just tomato. Hienz: :O

[@andrewleah1983]

*Heinz How could you spell one of the most famous brands in the world wrong?

[@joshharpin9567]

He’s proved em wrong, love his drinks