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IMPACT: Levi’s success has mean that ready made Caribbean meals are now a familiar sight in supermarkets Reggae sauce inventor Levi Roots has had huge success in the UK. Now he's planning world domination. Merissa Richards reports.
HE'S HAD huge success in the UK with his Reggae Reggae sauce.
Multi millionaire entrepreneur Levi Roots not only introduced Britons his tasty Reggae Reggae sauce, whose name came from his love of music, but he has paved the way for people of all cultural backgrounds to become familiar with the sight ready made Caribbean meals on supermarket shelves.
But now the fifty-two year old celebrity chef from Brixton is setting his sights further afield in his bid to make the sauce a worldwide phenomenon.
He’s planning to launch the sauce in Jamaica, North America and Canada.
And he’s confident of success – so far, his business acumen has been proved right no matter how far fetched it might seem at first glance.
For instance , when he appeared in Dragon’s Den, the BBC television show that catapaulted him to household fame, he told the judges his sauce would outsell Heinz ketchup. And within a week of Reggae Reggae sauce being launched, his prediction came true.
“This twenty-eleven is going to be a big year for us; a big year for Caribbean food” Roots told The Voice “We are now launching my Caribbean brand in Canada and North America. This is the biggest year for Caribbean food, there isn’t a bigger brand than the brand here in the UK. We’ve come to the end of our five year plan and hopefully we’ve inspired business here. Now the plan is to make it an international brand, so for me its very exciting to see something coming from my kitchen be so successful. We also have the biggest selling ready meals in the country at the moment in Tescos. We have nine different varieties of Caribbean inspired recipes.”
He added “It’s about getting people enjoying the taste of the Caribbean wherever they are. It’s not localised anymore, its now mainstream.”
However, the south Londoner says that despite the success he has enjoyed so far, the approval of Jamaicans when he launches the product there is one of the things that matters most to him.
“Now it’s a worldwide thing, and I can’t wait to take it to Jamaica” he says “For me it’s the Holy Grail. If it doesn’t get that stamp of approval from Jamaicans I still have a way to go. But hopefully this year it will get that stamp and I will feel like I have finally done it. It would mean that we have reached back to the roots.”
Levi is now enjoying the fruits of his business success which he describes as a dream come true.
However, he recalls, it has not been an easy road. The multi-talented businessman remembers the days when he used to struggle to keep his business going and his plans were consistently turned down by banks.
“I use to go into supermarkets and coming from the Caribbean I never saw anything that would represent who we are” he says “I saw every other representative, Italian, Chinese, Indian and more, other than Caribbean which was not right. I was ashamed to know that we have the greatest fusion foods in the world because of the diversity of the Caribbean islands, yet it was never shown off. Therefore for me to see my brand with the green gold and red that represents the sunshine of the Caribbean, it’s a dream come true,” he said.
He credits the turnaround in his fortunes to his faith in God.
“I went through such a hard time before the sauce was a success” he says “I was praying. Sometimes you get to the point in life where friends and advice can’t help you and there is only one more person that can help you. When the Lord helps you, you really get the help and I got the help.”
His success in overcoming obstacles t become the multi millionaire that he is today has become an inspiration to many and he now offers advice to entrepreneurs of the future.
“Now when I go to schools and different places to talk to young people, I talk a lot about planning because I remember when I would walk into banks and no one would take my business ideas seriously. They refused to invest in me and it was an upward struggle. But my plan was always there so when I was down due to being turned away from the banks and going through various struggles I would go back to living my dream. The plan was always there and my sauce outsold Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Our food and culture need to be out there.”
Levi is also getting ready for the publication of his new book called ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ due out in March. The book will give entrepreneurial advice and inspiration for starting a business of any kind. And it’s peppered with Levi’s own experiences throughout his journey from Dragons’ Den hopeful to hugely successful businessman.
He says “I’m really excited about my new book and the inspiration is from that old Jimmy Cliff song You Can Get It If You Really Want because you can achieve anything if you really want it.”
And his talents don’t stop with publishing. “Look out for my new album in the summer, around June. It will have some surprising collaborations. I also have a single to go with the book.”
Offering advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs he said: “If I can come from a place called Brixton, with dreadlocks anyone can do it. A few months ago I was given the keys to Brixton. I was given the freedom of the city.
I was told that I am a representative of where I am from and I have inspired the people. This was the most brilliant thing. If I can make it so can you. Anyone can be an entrepreneur as long as they are passionate about a business plan that they have created. It’s ones passion that carries them through when the dream is not yet a success.”
He added “Entrepreneurialism doesn’t belong to anybody, no one owns it. You haven’t got to be born in a particular area or go to a particular school, it’s all about the passion and the focus. Most entrepreneurs will tell you that. If you have a good plan, make sure you write it down.”
Merissa Richards 0 Comments
IMPACT: Levi’s success has mean that ready made Caribbean meals are now a familiar sight in supermarkets Reggae sauce inventor Levi Roots has had huge success in the UK. Now he's planning world domination. Merissa Richards reports. HE'S HAD huge success in the UK with his Reggae Reggae sauce.
Multi millionaire entrepreneur Levi Roots not only introduced Britons his tasty Reggae Reggae sauce, whose name came from his love of music, but he has paved the way for people of all cultural backgrounds to become familiar with the sight ready made Caribbean meals on supermarket shelves.
But now the fifty-two year old celebrity chef from Brixton is setting his sights further afield in his bid to make the sauce a worldwide phenomenon.
He’s planning to launch the sauce in Jamaica, North America and Canada.
And he’s confident of success – so far, his business acumen has been proved right no matter how far fetched it might seem at first glance.
For instance , when he appeared in Dragon’s Den, the BBC television show that catapaulted him to household fame, he told the judges his sauce would outsell Heinz ketchup. And within a week of Reggae Reggae sauce being launched, his prediction came true.
“This twenty-eleven is going to be a big year for us; a big year for Caribbean food” Roots told The Voice “We are now launching my Caribbean brand in Canada and North America. This is the biggest year for Caribbean food, there isn’t a bigger brand than the brand here in the UK. We’ve come to the end of our five year plan and hopefully we’ve inspired business here. Now the plan is to make it an international brand, so for me its very exciting to see something coming from my kitchen be so successful. We also have the biggest selling ready meals in the country at the moment in Tescos. We have nine different varieties of Caribbean inspired recipes.”
He added “It’s about getting people enjoying the taste of the Caribbean wherever they are. It’s not localised anymore, its now mainstream.”
However, the south Londoner says that despite the success he has enjoyed so far, the approval of Jamaicans when he launches the product there is one of the things that matters most to him.
“Now it’s a worldwide thing, and I can’t wait to take it to Jamaica” he says “For me it’s the Holy Grail. If it doesn’t get that stamp of approval from Jamaicans I still have a way to go. But hopefully this year it will get that stamp and I will feel like I have finally done it. It would mean that we have reached back to the roots.”
Levi is now enjoying the fruits of his business success which he describes as a dream come true.
However, he recalls, it has not been an easy road. The multi-talented businessman remembers the days when he used to struggle to keep his business going and his plans were consistently turned down by banks.
“I use to go into supermarkets and coming from the Caribbean I never saw anything that would represent who we are” he says “I saw every other representative, Italian, Chinese, Indian and more, other than Caribbean which was not right. I was ashamed to know that we have the greatest fusion foods in the world because of the diversity of the Caribbean islands, yet it was never shown off. Therefore for me to see my brand with the green gold and red that represents the sunshine of the Caribbean, it’s a dream come true,” he said.
He credits the turnaround in his fortunes to his faith in God.
“I went through such a hard time before the sauce was a success” he says “I was praying. Sometimes you get to the point in life where friends and advice can’t help you and there is only one more person that can help you. When the Lord helps you, you really get the help and I got the help.”
His success in overcoming obstacles t become the multi millionaire that he is today has become an inspiration to many and he now offers advice to entrepreneurs of the future.
“Now when I go to schools and different places to talk to young people, I talk a lot about planning because I remember when I would walk into banks and no one would take my business ideas seriously. They refused to invest in me and it was an upward struggle. But my plan was always there so when I was down due to being turned away from the banks and going through various struggles I would go back to living my dream. The plan was always there and my sauce outsold Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Our food and culture need to be out there.”
Levi is also getting ready for the publication of his new book called ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ due out in March. The book will give entrepreneurial advice and inspiration for starting a business of any kind. And it’s peppered with Levi’s own experiences throughout his journey from Dragons’ Den hopeful to hugely successful businessman.
He says “I’m really excited about my new book and the inspiration is from that old Jimmy Cliff song You Can Get It If You Really Want because you can achieve anything if you really want it.”
And his talents don’t stop with publishing. “Look out for my new album in the summer, around June. It will have some surprising collaborations. I also have a single to go with the book.”
Offering advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs he said: “If I can come from a place called Brixton, with dreadlocks anyone can do it. A few months ago I was given the keys to Brixton. I was given the freedom of the city.
I was told that I am a representative of where I am from and I have inspired the people. This was the most brilliant thing. If I can make it so can you. Anyone can be an entrepreneur as long as they are passionate about a business plan that they have created. It’s ones passion that carries them through when the dream is not yet a success.”
He added “Entrepreneurialism doesn’t belong to anybody, no one owns it. You haven’t got to be born in a particular area or go to a particular school, it’s all about the passion and the focus. Most entrepreneurs will tell you that. If you have a good plan, make sure you write it down.”
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