New Business magazine Spring edition - Cover Interview – Levi Roots

He faced setbacks and doubters, but Levi Roots never gave up on his dream. The Reggae Reggae Sauce entrepreneur shares his story of resilience, determination, and the importance of staying true to your roots

From humble beginnings in Jamaica to a fiery pitch on Dragon's Den that catapulted him to entrepreneurial stardom, Levi Roots' journey is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and a good pinch of Caribbean spice. His infectious enthusiasm and unwavering belief in his Reggae Reggae Sauce, not only won over investors but also captured the hearts of a nation. Now a household name, with a thriving brand and a string of accomplishments, Levi Roots embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship. Levi talks to New Business about his remarkable rise to success, the challenges he faced, and the lessons he learned, inspiring any aspiring entrepreneur to take the leap and turn their dreams into a delicious reality.

Your Dragon's Den appearance in 2007 was and still is, highly memorable and ultimately changed your life, but can you take us back to the time in Jamaica when as a young boy you were waiting to join your parents, who had set sail to build a new life in the UK as part of the Windrush generation?

"It was a bittersweet time. I was just a boy when my parents left for the UK. My amazing grandma raised me, teaching me about music and food. She was a renowned cook in Clarendon, our village. People would travel miles for her food! She also instilled a love of music in me. When it was my turn to leave for the UK at ten, it was a shock. After years apart, I barely knew my parents."

The Levi Roots story has become one of resilience and seizing opportunities. From performing at Notting Hill Carnival to finding yourself on Dragons' Den, can you pinpoint the moment you truly believed you could turn your passion for Reggae Reggae sauce into a thriving business?

"It was when I decided to find my market. I struggled at first, trying to sell my sauce in Brixton. People there could make their own sauces! But I'd been selling it at Carnival for years, and it was a massive success. It was mainstream people who loved the flavour. My granny wasn't about just heat; she was about enhancing flavour.

So, I went to farmers' markets in the countryside. There I was, singing and selling my sauce. And it was a hit! That's when it clicked: this could be really special. Nobody has a right to a market. You have to go out and find your market."

The Den catapulted you to success. How was that exposure leveraged to build your brand and expand beyond the initial sauce? And how do you maintain authenticity and quality while diversifying?

"People weren't just buying the sauce; they were buying into me - Levi Roots. They connected with the music, the stories about my grandma. They'd come to my stall because I was performing, drawn to the music and food, the two things I took from my grandma. I realised that people were buying into the music, even though music alone hadn't brought me the success I wanted. So, I decided to merge the two.

That's when I thought, 'Don't sell the sauce, sell Levi Roots.' When I went on Dragon's Den, I took my guitar. My kids were saying, 'It's not X Factor, Dad!' But I knew what the music did for people. I wanted to express that this wasn't just about the sauce."

Beyond your entrepreneurial achievements, you're a musician and passionate about Caribbean culture. How do these aspects of your identity influence your business brand and indeed lifestyle?

"It was reggae music that taught me about my roots. Growing up in the 70s, there was no Black history taught in schools. You didn't know who you were. I read a book that said 90% of Jamaicans have Scottish names, which is how I ended up with Keith Graham. And I thought, 'I don't look Scottish!' Something wasn't right.

It was reggae music that taught me I was African, via Jamaica. It taught me about my culture. 'Know your culture, know yourself.' So, I started growing my dreadlocks, listening to more reggae. It was the music that gave me my identity.

I think kids today are much more in tune with their culture, and that gives them a stronger sense of identity. But for me, it was Marley and reggae music that gave me mine. It made me a strong Black man, a musician, and ultimately, the person I am today."

Many entrepreneurs struggle with work-life balance. How do you manage your time and prioritize your well-being while running a highly successful business?

"Young people have shown me so much love since I appeared on Dragon's Den. My first customers were millions of young people, between 16 and their early 20s. They were drawn to the image of the Rasta with a guitar, singing about his sauce. It was different; it was cool. They invited me to schools, universities... and that's what's taken up most of my time, even to this day.

It's been so fantastic that I've now got two doctorates! You can call me Dr. Roots. I've got fellowships; I've been to Eton, done the Oxford debate... I've visited schools up and down the country. My diary is jam-packed with school visits.

It's amazing, and I enjoy giving back to the young people who support me. I do at least four or five dissertations every year. I just did one the other day for students doing their next level of education, writing about my life.

It's been a fantastic journey. I'm an ambassador for the Prince's Trust; I go to the palace two or three times a year. It's amazing. I even have presents from the King!

As a boy from Jamaica, struggling when I first came here, with no education... to now be receiving presents from the King and working with him for the past 18 years on the Prince's Trust... it's incredible. And it's all because of the young people.

So, I spend my life giving back to them, whether it's in prisons, schools... working with charities, teaching young people how to be entrepreneurs. That's my biggest passion."

Did music ever take a back seat to your business, or is it the constant that underpins all your other interests and keeps you grounded?

"Music never took a backseat, but it's not as forward as it was. I always wanted to be a musician; that was Plan A. Plan B was my grandmother's cooking, which I loved, but music was the dream.

However, music didn't give me what I wanted. It got me to the edges, like my MOBO nomination in 1986 for my album 'Free Your Mind'. That was a great feat; the public was telling me they loved my music. I still relish performing; it's my zone.

But for me, it was about merging my two passions. That was the secret to my success. If I hadn't called it Reggae Reggae Sauce, hadn't written that song... If I hadn't gone on Dragon's Den with my guitar, merging those two things... it wouldn't have been the same. Those guys were not expecting someone like me to come in and do what I did.

So, music was always there. I still see myself as a musician; it's my first love. Even though the sauce gave me everything, when I sit with my guitar, it's the most amazing zone. Much deeper than when I'm in the kitchen writing recipes.

I've got a new book out, and I'm also finishing a stage musical with 27 songs! We took it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, and now we're reworking it for London. That gives me a chance to get back to Plan A, the love of music.

But the drive, the public... it's all about the sauce and the cooking. I tend to think they're one anyway, the music and the food. They have become one."

Failure is an inevitable part of entrepreneurship. Can you share a time when you faced a setback, and what lessons you learned from it?

"It was the saddest moment of my journey. After Dragon's Den, I thought I was untouchable. The sauce was everywhere; I had my TV show, was writing books... it was amazing.

Then, I was sued by a friend who claimed the sauce was theirs. People told me to pay them off, but I decided to fight. I didn't want that rope around my neck.

It was the most difficult time of my life. All my laundry was aired out in the newspapers. At one point, I even doubted myself. But I persevered. My mum encouraged me, 'If you tell the truth, it will prevail.'

Thank God, the judge found in my favour. But I had no evidence. I realised then that in court, telling the truth isn't enough. You need evidence. But also, that you have to believe in your own truth." That time of being sued was the most challenging part;  But I had people supporting me, and my case was strong. The judge said I was the secret recipe. Peter Jones said he invested in Levi Roots, not just the sauce. I won, but it was daunting. I doubted everything. But the victory brought it all back around.

As an entrepreneur, a chef, a musician, an author, and a TV celebrity, how does Levi Roots plan a typical year, if there is such a thing as a typical year?

"My life is planned by the public! I get asked to do so many things, I can't really say, 'This is what I want to do.' My life is open to opportunities that come along.

For instance, I was thinking of relaxing this year. I just moved out of Brixton to give my son a better chance at a good school. But then the opportunity came to be involved in building a museum for my mum, who passed away two years ago.

It's the National Windrush Museum. The Windrush generation... it's important to remember them. That immigration lifestyle we have here, it started with that 1948 ship. When I came over, it was 'No dogs, no Irish, no blacks'. That aspect of our history has never been told in a museum.

There are thousands of museums, but none celebrating the Windrush generation. My mum worked in the NHS for over 50 years. Her story, and the stories of so many others, will never be told if we don't do this.

So, we're partnering with the Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich. We're putting the National Windrush Museum inside! It's so inspiring to champion my mum's story, and the stories of all those Windrush heroes.

Things like that keep me going. The public demands it, and that's how my life is planned. My partner operates my diary, and it's so full, it's difficult to have any big plans of my own.

But it's all stuff I enjoy. I'm doing a lot for Age Concern, going back into the community. I'm working with REFORM, which goes into prisons and teaches young kids how to become entrepreneurs. I'm an ambassador for them because my own change came when I was in prison.

Before that, I was unfocused. But it was there that I found my focus. So now I go back and tell my story. I say, 'If I can do it, you can too.'"

Looking back on your journey, what are you most proud of, and what are your aspirations for the future of the brand?

"It has to be my appearance on Dragon's Den. I'm most proud of that moment. I'm proud of Peter Jones; he's my hero. Richard Farleigh invested too, and I'm grateful. But it's the friendship I've formed with Peter... he's been with me throughout the journey.

I'd never want to be without a mentor like Peter. He believed in me, not just the sauce. That belief helped me immensely. In business, you need someone who knows more than you. You need that person to tap into, to learn from.

Him being my investor is the reason I was able to take it from my kitchen to every supermarket. It's been a fantastic journey. And that's down to the people in my engine room: Peter, my mum before she passed, my family now. I couldn't do it without them."

Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who are hesitant to take the leap and pursue their dreams?

"If you're hesitant, you don't know who you are. You don't love yourself enough. The first thing you must do is become the best version of yourself. If you're not that yet, go away and learn how to become it.

Sometimes that involves a mentor to bring out the best in you. Once you've found that best version of yourself, the investment or the help will come. It's never going to come just because of the product or your business plan. Those things can't sell themselves.

So, find who you are. Find the best of you. If you can't do it alone, get someone to help you. It doesn't matter how old you are; we can all improve. We sometimes forget that. We invent something, a recipe, a computer program... and it's not going anywhere. We think we haven't done enough with the project.

But sometimes it's not about the project, it's about you. You're not ready yet. Even if the project isn't perfect, if you are ready, you'll have a better chance of expressing yourself.

I know that because the Levi Roots who was going into prisons, hustling around Brixton in the 70s... I was always me. But I became the finished self when I decided to step out of the community, go into the 'shires', and learn to sell to a mainstream audience.

And it wasn't finished there. It was when I went on Dragon's Den. It still could have failed. But I had a mentor like Peter, someone successful. There's that saying, 'If you can't see it, you can't be it.' I had him to look up to, to tap into that success, before I could be the finished product.

So, be you, but become the best of you. When you're seeking investment, walking into the bank for a loan... they have to see you first. They must believe you can pay back that loan.

It's about self-love. Be who you are, the true you. But find someone to help you become the absolute best version of yourself."