Why we love Levi Roots’ story – a true Market stallholder success!
The story of Levi Roots is classic Dragon’s Den fairy tale. Levi Roots is a family man, a religious man and a man who believes in being true to himself and his ancestors.
He made a huge impact at his BBC Dragon’s Den audition, one of the UK’s most famous TV shows, by coming up the stairs with a guitar and singing to the Dragons about his product! He is perhaps one of the biggest success stories of the BBC show – and we all know the Reggae Reggae Sauce song. It’s definitely one way to attract customers to your market stall!!
However, he wasn’t so hot with his numbers, and it was clear to the Dragons that he didn’t know much about how to expand his business, but in the end he got a £50,000 investment from two Dragons – all because he was passionate and confident. And his Reggae Reggae Sauce really was a winner! For the Dragons, they didn’t need someone who already knew how to build a business, or how to create a 5 year marketing plan for their product, but they could see something special in him. Someone who had a great product, who truly believed in what he was making, and believed it could go all the way!
In a catch-up episode, we later saw the incredible success that this small company brought Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, the Dragons who’d invested in Levi Roots and his brilliant business. Within 3 weeks, the company had launched products across the whole of the UK in a major supermarket. Several years later and Levi Roots’ business has exploded beyond his wildest dreams.
His products now span a huge range and are stocked in every major supermarket in the UK. There’s even a selection of BBC Recipes dedicated to recipes to use his Reggae Reggae sauce! According to The Sunday Times Rich List, his current worth is over £30 million and the only way is up for him.
For us, this story is most inspirational in that it’s a tale of how true success comes from being yourself. Levi Roots made his personality his brand, with a true passion for the things he made. Levi Roots used his character, his enthusiasm, charm and passion for good food, and turned that into an extremely successful business.
In our stallholders, we see people who use that same passion and love for their craft, and could be just as successful as him!
Local markets are always full of great food
Food is always the core of a local market. Because it’s something we can all get on board with, something we all love!
It’s not just at Farmer’s markets either, food traders can be found at every market – from cheese, wine and BBQ stuff to herbs and spices, freshly baked bread or homemade Brownies, there’s always plenty of delicious foods to be discovered and enjoyed at markets. Click here to find excellent Pedddle food traders.
Have you tried Daddy Cool’s Chilli Sauces? Steve, its founder, creates homemade sauces along with chilli chutney, jams, pickles and snacks. Steve also collaborates with another of our traders, The Weston Biltong Company. Biltong is a high protein, low fat South African delicacy, which The Weston Biltong Company produces in large drying kilns from their home. Just a couple of examples of Pedddle foodies!
Want to support our traders that are not quite (yet) worth over £30 million? Both companies can be found at many local festivals and markets, around the North West predominantly.
Click here to find markets near you – and you can even filter your search to find food markets!
Blog written in 2018 – to find current Pedddle foodies and stallholders, click here.