Reggae Reggae Sauce

Reggae Reggae Sauce is a barbecue sauce that incorporates Jamaican jerk spice, popularised by creator Levi Roots' appearance on BBC Two's Dragons' Den.

Dragons' Den investor Peter Jones has since classified the product as one of his most successful investments from the show.

On 7 February 2007, Levi Roots appeared on Dragons' Den and convinced Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh to invest £50,000 in return for 40% of his company. The sauce gained fame as a result of his memorable television appearance and on 9 February, Sainsbury's were confirmed to be interested in stocking it. On 7 March, the sauce went on sale nationwide.

The product's catch line is "Put some music in your food". Levi Roots released an accompanying single of his "Reggae Reggae Sauce Song" which he sang whilst pitching his product on Dragons' Den, and also on Harry Hill's TV Burp. The song was released as a download with proceeds going to Comic Relief. In September 2008, Reggae Reggae Sauce was voted as a CoolBrand by a panel of experts and the British public.

The origin of the recipe is disputed by Tony Bailey, who runs a West Indian takeaway in Brixton, South London; "The recipe is mine. People round here know, but we don’t say."

In 2010, Bailey filed a preliminary claim in the High Court for more than £300,000 claiming that, as the inventor of the sauce, he was entitled to a share of profits.

Roots ran a jerk chicken stall at the Notting Hill Carnival for 15 years with Bailey. Levi 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.

...
Wikipedia