If you have never heard of the name Levi Roots or his Reggae Reggae Sauce, I'd have to wonder where the heck you've been hiding for the past year and a bit. The 7th of January 2007 is the date that changed Levi Roots' life, as this was the day of his infamous tango with the intimidating Dragon's from the BBC hit TV show 'Dragon's Den'.

Levi Roots' success seems to have been somewhat of a whirl wind. Today in the UK it is hard to escape the name Levi Roots and his Reggae Reggae Sauce - even Subway has jumped on the bank wagon - sorry, I mean bandwagon and have added the Reggae Reggae Chicken Sub to their menu and the Slug and Lettuce bars will also be offering Levi's Reggae Reggae Chicken Burger in the near future. So, what is Levi's story?

Where it all Began

Born Keith Valentine Graham, 1959 in Clarendon Jamaica, Levi Roots, the youngest of 7 children moved to the UK at the age of 12 with dreams of being a musician. Levi enjoyed small scale success by selling his Reggae Reggae Sauce at the infamous Notting Hill Carnival in London (he sold 4000 bottles at the 2006 carnival) as well as a MOBO nomination in 1998 for best reggae performer - though none of this could prepare him for the success that was soon to be on his horizon.

Time to Excel

In the latter part of 2006 Levi Roots exhibited his Reggae Reggae Sauce at the World Food Market Exhibition at the Excel Centre in London's Docklands. Whilst showcasing his sauce Levi was contacted by staff from the show who asked if he would like to audition for the Dragon's Den - Levi took them up on the offer and has not looked back since.

At times during Levi's encounter with the dragon's it seemed as if his request for £50,000 was slipping further and further from his hands as pressure started to get the best of him and he begun to confuse himself with the facts and figures of his business (most people do start to unravel at this stage). However, Levi managed to regain his composure and won the dragons over with his great product, personality, trusty guitar and vocal skills.

Fast forward a year and Levi Roots is a household name and an example to most. He managed to secure himself a deal with the dragons for £50,000, although with a higher percentage of his business at stake (40%) than what he had originally offered the dragons. His Reggae Reggae Sauce was the fastest selling product at Sainsbury. Some might say that you can't win them all; I'd say that Levi Roots has won and continues to do so as his business climbs past the £1, 000000 mark. Knowing that your business partners are seasoned multi millionaire business men; Richard Farleigh and Peter Jones can't hurt.


www.reggae-reggae.co.uk