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From Rags to Riches – The Levi Roots Story

Levi RootsLevi Roots is an entrepreneur who followed his passions. He never gave up – determined that he could make a living from doing the things he loved.

The inspirational Levi Roots was born Keith Valentine Graham/Tanyue in Jamaica in 1959. His parents moved to the United Kingdom when he was 4 years old, leaving him and his siblings in the care of his grandmother. It was his grandmother, Miriam, who helped him learn to appreciate the raw ingredients that surrounded him. With these vibrant ingredients she taught him how to blend flavours to produce the unique cuisine of the Caribbean.

At the age of 12 Levi was uprooted from everything that he knew to be reunited with his mother and father in the United Kingdom. He joined them in London – which must have seemed very bleak at that time in the nation’s history, to a young man from such a vibrant culture.

Levi lived in South London with his parents and his 5 brothers and sisters. His father was a rat-catcher in London – and the family lived, as most Londoner’s did, in the working class traditions. Levi missed Jamaica dearly, and to compensate for this he immersed himself in both Reggae Music and Cooking.
Levi started recording and performing Reggae in the 1970’s, first as part of a band, Matic16 with his brothers, and then later on as a solo artist. He set up his own record label in 1982, Conqueror Records, which he then sold, and in the 1990’s he started Soundbox Music. He has received considerable acclaim in the musical world, and in 1998 he was nominated for “Best Reggae Performer” at the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) awards.

Throughout this time his interest in Caribbean Cuisine never waned. In the early 1990’s he perfected the sauce that was used on the annual food stand that he and his family ran at the Notting Hill Carnival. In 2006 they sold 4000 bottles of the sauce on this stall. It was apparent by this time that in order to achieve his goals he would need to obtain funding, and to this end he started to take the sauce to food trade shows. He was spotted at one of these shows by a BBC researcher who asked him if he would like to appear on Dragons’ Den.

Levi wowed the panel and TV audiences alike with his unique musical pitch to the Dragons. Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh offered Levi £50,000 in return for a 40% stake in his business, which he gladly accepted.

Since winning funding on this TV programme, his business and brand has gone from strength to strength:

  • He still owns Reggae Reggae Sauce with Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh – they are currently diversifying their range to include other sauces.
  • The sauce is now sold nationwide in the United Kingdom. In some supermarkets the sauce has out sold the ketchup brand leader.
  • He opened his own restaurant and takeaway service in 2007, Papine Jerk Centre, Lavender Hill, London.
  • The fast food chain Subway started to sell the Reggae Reggae Chicken Sub in its UK outlets in 2008.
  • He has brought out a cookbook (Reggae Reggae Cookbook, Collins, 2008).
  • He has made appearances on various TV programmes, from Harry Hill’s TV burp through to cooking programmes such as Ready Steady Cook and Market Kitchen.
  • He has his own series starting on the BBC in 2009, called Caribbean Food Made Easy, where he takes the viewers to the Caribbean to explore various food histories, as well as taking his own special food out on the road for people to try across the United Kingdom.
  • He has a new Album in the works due for release in 2009.
  • He is also a widely sought after entrepreneurial/inspirational/motivational speaker.

So, what’s the lesson here? If you are sitting there with an idea – which you truly believe in, it can take several years of dedication and hard work to make it a reality, but on the other hand, sometimes it only takes a single day to turn everything around.

For more information about Levi Roots, check out the following links:
http://www.reggae-reggae.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/levirootsmusic

Can you think of any inspirational entrepreneurs who have a story to tell about getting to the top?  Or perhaps you  yourself  would be an inspiration to us all?  Leave a comment and tell us about it!

Matthew Toren

Matthew Toren
 

Matthew Toren is a serial entrepreneur, mentor, investor and co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com. He is co-author, with his brother Adam, of Kidpreneurs.org, BizWarriors.com and Small Business, BIG Vision: Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right (Wiley).

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