Born Keith Valentine Graham in Clarendon, Jamaica, Levi Roots was raised by his grandmother Miriam Small in a small village, learning to cook the traditional recipes that would later define his career. His parents had emigrated to Brixton, London, as part of the Windrush generation, and Roots eventually joined them in England as a child, discovering music, food and the Notting Hill Carnival that would shape the rest of his life.
Roots pursued a career in reggae music, selling his homemade jerk-style sauce at the Notting Hill Carnival's 'Rastaraunt' stall for over 20 years while performing under his stage name. The sauce, based on his grandmother's recipe, remained a local secret sold from his own kitchen and small London outlets for years before he saw a bigger opportunity.
In 2007, Roots appeared on BBC Two's Dragons' Den, famously pitching Reggae Reggae Sauce with a guitar and a song rather than a spreadsheet, securing investment from Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. Within weeks of the episode airing, an exclusive Sainsbury's deal saw Reggae Reggae Sauce outselling Heinz Ketchup, becoming the retailer's fastest-selling product at the time. The brand has since expanded into ready meals, drinks and cookbooks, building an estimated £30 million business.
- Built Reggae Reggae Sauce into an estimated £30 million food and drink business
- One of Dragons' Den's most commercially successful pitches in the show's history
- Published multiple bestselling cookbooks and hosted BBC Two's Caribbean Food Made Easy
- Opened The Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse restaurant at Westfield Stratford City
- A story can sell as powerfully as a spreadsheet.. His musical, narrative-driven Dragons' Den pitch became one of the show's most memorable moments precisely because it broke from convention.
- Patience with a product can pay off eventually.. He sold his sauce informally for over 20 years before the right opportunity to scale arrived.
- Heritage can become genuine commercial value.. His grandmother's recipe, kept alive for decades, became the foundation of a multi-million-pound brand.