I couldn’t afford the taxi fare when I went on Dragons’ Den - now I’m worth £30m

There are two people Levi Roots regularly gives thanks to for making him the most successful, and arguably most lucrative, Dragons' Den investment story ever. They are investors Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh who, in 2007, famously offered the Jamaican-British entrepreneur £50,000 for a 40% stake in his “it's so nice I had to name it twice” Reggae Reggae Sauce.

But there is also a third. Before Levi became a household name almost 20 years ago – ”it’s one of those memories that never leaves you, it’s the moment that you pray for,” he says today – a near-miracle had already happened.

“To give you a view of how my life was then, I couldn't even afford the taxi fare to get to Dragons' Den,” laughs the 66-year-old, demonstrating the same infectious excitement that charmed Peter and Richard, who has since left the show, along with fellow Dragons Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphitis and Duncan Bannatyne.

“My children were making the sauce with me at the time. We had to look through the pennies that we had and I was going on the most important journey of my life and I couldn't find the taxi fare to go.

“It's a good thing that the taxi rank in Brixton still sent the car to come because they probably knew me and when I got to my destination, I had to explain to the taxi man that I couldn't pay the fare to him. But I can tell you this, when I did come away from Dragons' Den with investors, I went back to that taxi rank to reward the driver who let me off the fare.”

Levi is today worth an estimated £30million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. His Reggae Reggae brand has expanded beyond table sauces to drinks, food, patties – even ice cream.

“I wouldn't be able to put a figure on it because the business is absolutely massive,” he replies when asked if he really is worth £30million. “There’s always these figures floating around but the brand is just fantastic and it's doing really well.”

Peter and Richard took up Levi’s original offer even after he botched his figures because, as they later told him, they had invested in the man rather than his sauce. And chatting to the passionate sauce maker and musician turned public speaker, television presenter and charity patron, it’s easy to see why. Levi exudes the same passion and authenticity as when he entered the Den strumming his guitar to serenade the Dragons.

“If I'd gone there and pretended to be somebody that knows about numbers and all that kind of stuff, I don't think I would be here right now talking to you about being the best pitch ever on Dragons’ Den,” he says, chatting to the Express shortly after making a speech at the National Windrush Museum 2025 conference this week.

People around him had urged him not to play his guitar as no other contestant had ever sung on the show but Levi, steeped in the rich musical heritage of Brixton, South London, since the age of 10, wanted to “do something different”.

And crucially, the arts remain a huge part of his life today. It’s why he’s added actor to his long list of talents with a starring role in a new short film, Kaleido Ghost.

The paranormal mystery stars child actress Vivienne Aarone, a rising star repped by Hero Talent Group, who plays a nine-year-old who returns to her former home after two years in the US. Going to her old playground with her mother, she spots her former playmates, eerily all dressed in Victorian attire.

Levi plays Mr Morris, Vivienne’s adored neighbour. He loved the film-making experience.

“It brought me back to when I was a child when I had to spend a lot of time on my own because my siblings were much older than me,” he explains.

“It made me understand how living in this beautiful world inside your head when you’re a child is such a fantastic thing. I think all adults will love this film because they will be able to put themselves back in that moment.”

Levi is also tipped to play himself in forthcoming nine-episode television drama Paradise Retreat, also starring ex-EastEnders actor Nitin Ganatra, about the goings-on of hotel staff and their families in Mauritius. It will reunite him with his biggest passions: music and food.

“I’ll be singing in the show,” he reveals. “Food and music have helped me to create a fantastic business here in this country and I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

Giving back to the community also figures highly in his list of priorities. Born in Jamaica, Levi was just a young boy when his parents left for the UK to start a better life for him and his five older siblings. He was raised by his grandmother, an “amazing” woman and renowned local cook who taught him everything he knew.

When he arrived in Brixton, the transition to British life was tough.

“In Jamaica we lived in a one-room shack that housed all of us,” he previously recalled. “When my parents left for England there were five of us in one bed. Every year when they sent for one of us there was a bit more room in the bed.

“One day when my suit and first pair of shoes arrived I knew it was my turn to fly in the 'iron bird' to see my mum and dad who I didn't have a connection with.”

After serving jail time for drugs offences, his love of cooking helped him get back on the right path. He was asked to audition for the Den after a BBC producer spotted him at the World Food Market exhibition where he was promoting his Reggae Reggae Sauce.

The father-of-eight now visits schools, universities and prisons to give talks about his life and entrepreneurship – usually accompanied by his guitar.

“It's been a fantastic journey for me,” he beams. “I enjoy going into schools and seeing the look on young people's faces when I walk through the door, and they know every lyric to the Reggae Reggae Sauce song.

“When I go into a prison, the prison officers will tell me that nobody else can get these prisoners out of their cell to listen to a talk. But when I go in, it's packed out, and it's just amazing.”

Having spoken three times at Oxford, Levi has also received three honorary doctorships and fellowships from universities across the country. He’s also a long-time ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and says he still has the hunger to keep on working despite his wealth.

“I live in a very nice house and I don't have to struggle anymore, but the key thing for me is to keep being me,” he says.

“When you get to my age, if you can walk into a school and the kids still know who you are and still cheer for you, I think that's really fantastic and that's magical and that's the reason why I do it.”

He may be humble but there are some luxuries he treats himself to, notably his fabulous wardrobe of designer suits.

“That's the part of luxury I enjoy,” he laughs. “I wear Savile Row, I wear Ozwald Boateng, and I've got the record as having the most suits from him. I have over 35 Savile Row and Ozwald Boateng-designed suits.”

As for his advice for would-be entrepreneurs, he says more people should express themselves through their businesses. Levi has appeared on television programmes ranging from Celebrity Mastermind to Celebrity Big Brother over the years.

He also maintains a “fantastic” relationship with investors Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh two decades on. Although Levi brought his shares back from Richard 18 months later, they have kept up a strong relationship. Richard recently sponsored and attended a version of Romeo and Juliet which Levi wrote. As for Peter, Levi says the pair remain “very, very close”.

“He probably would never have spoken to someone like me in his day-to-day life as a businessman,” smiles Levi. “But we've become fantastic partners. He is the most inspirational person I have ever met.”

Peter would undoubtedly say the same thing about him.

Kaleido Ghost airs on Amazon Prime and YouTube later this year, Paradise Retreat will be released early next year.