UK supermarket Sainsbury’s is ready to make “a dream come true” for a chef come singer who appeared on BBC Two’s Dragons Den.
Singer Levi Roots, nominated for the best reggae singer at the 1998 UK Mobo awards, persuaded TV entrepreneurs to invest £50,000 in his sauce-making business, in exchange for a 40 per cent share . The ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’ is now on sale in 600 Sainsbury’s branches costing £1.49.
Mr Roots from Brixton, South London, claims the sauce can “put music in your food”, which until a month ago, had been produced in his kitchen .
He said, “The deal with Sainsbury’s is a dream come true for me and my family, and seeing the sauce on the supermarket shelves is an emotional but enjoyable moment.
“I can’t believe what’s happened to me since appearing on the show. It’s been amazing and life changing. My phone has not stopped and it seems everybody everywhere wants a bottle of my sauce,” he added.
Dragons’ Den judges Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh agreed to pay Mr Roots £25,000 each for a 20 per cent stake in his business .
Mr Jones said, “Levi is a great guy and he’s created a great product which he is passionate about. It’s a pleasure working with him.”
The spicy jerk/barbecue sauce, an old family recipe, has only previously been available on Mr Roots’ website, or at London’s Notting Hill Carnival, where he sold more than 4,000 bottles at last year’s event.
Sainsbury’s sauce buyer, Nick Paddison said, “It fits perfectly with our ethos to encourage customers to try something new and our desire to help nurture smaller, niche suppliers, so we have pulled out all the stops to make it available in stores as quickly as possible.”
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