From Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae Sauce to Wonderbly, there have been some amazing products that have come from the BBC show Dragons' Den. 

Budding businessmen and women have been trying for nearly 20 years to win investments from the Dragons (now Steven Bartlett, Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman).

The show has seen some great and not-so-great pitches since it first aired in 2005.

Witney Gazette: Dragons' Den has been running for nearly 20 years, first airing back in 2005.Dragons' Den has been running for nearly 20 years, first airing back in 2005. (Image: BBC Studios/Simon Pantling/PA)

The Chocbox, Magic Whiteboard, Wonderbly, Reggae Reggae Sauce, the Craft Gin Club and Skinny Tan are among some of the most successful pitches on Dragons' Den which received an investment. 

Meanwhile, others like Oppo Brothers Ice Cream, the Tangle Teezer and Trunki were among the pitches that didn't receive an investment offer but have since gone on to become big in the UK.

I took a look at a few of the products that have appeared on Dragons' Den on the BBC and here's what I thought.

Worth the investment? What I thought of some of the products from BBC Dragons' Den

Products the Dragons made an offer on

Reggae Reggae sauce

Arguably one of the most recognised products from Dragons' Den is Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae Sauce

The hot to mild jerk BBQ sauce was pitched by Roots on the BBC show back in 2007 and was invested in by Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. 

Witney Gazette: Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae sauce can be found in most supermarkets in the UK (including the likes of Asda and Tesco).Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae sauce can be found in most supermarkets in the UK (including the likes of Asda and Tesco). (Image: Patrick Glover)

My wife and I have a bottle of Reggae Reggae Sauce in our cupboard.

It isn't one of the sauces we use on a regular basis (she uses it more than I do) but it is very tasty. 

It does exactly what it says on the tin it is a spicier, more flavoursome BBQ sauce effectively. 

I would highly recommend adding it to your condiment collection if you haven't already.

You can pick up a bottle from most supermarkets including Asda, Tesco and Morrisons.

Craft Gin Club

This was definitely my second favourite Dragon's Den product (I'll get to my favourite in a minute).

The Craft Gin Club co-founders Jon Hulme and John Burke appeared on the BBC show back in 2016.

They received offers from all of them and it was Sarah Willingham who won out in the end.

Hulme and Burke accepted an investment of £75,000 from Willingham for a 12.5% share in the business

And it is easy to see why.

Witney Gazette: You can sign up for a membership with The Craft Gin Club or just buy single bottles from their website - some, like this one, are extremely tasty.You can sign up for a membership with The Craft Gin Club or just buy single bottles from their website - some, like this one, are extremely tasty. (Image: Patrick Glover)

The idea behind the Club is members sign up and each month they are sent a surprise Gin of the Month box (costing £45).

According to the website: "Each box contains a full-sized bottle of very special craft gin – including brand new, one-off or specially imported spirits, hand-selected mixers, cocktail ingredients and foodie treats, as well as an issue of Ginned!, our monthly club magazine."

But there are some amazing gins available through the site, you can even create your own.

I didn't sign up for a membership but bought a single bottle of gin (you can also buy bottles of gin separately without having to sign up) from a distillery in my home state of South Australia and it was lovely.

It wasn't as plain as a London gin but wasn't overly sweet with overbearing flavours, so overall had the perfect balance with a slight hint of orange coming through.

If I had the money, I would sign up for a monthly membership for sure.

Products the dragons didn't make an offer on

Oppo Brothers  Ice Cream

Oppo Brothers Ice Cream was by far the most disappointing of all the Dragons' Den products I tried (or didn't try I should say).

It had nothing to do with the product itself.

I was really looking forward to trying a Double Salted Caramel Swirl or Caramelised Biscuit Swirl Oppo Ice Cream (it's making my mouth water just thinking about it).

The disappointing part was I couldn't get a hold of any of the ice cream flavours anywhere. 

I tried my local Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco stores as the Oppo website had suggested.

I also checked online at those supermarkets as well as on Amazon. 

No stock anywhere, which left me rather disappointed.

Founders Harry and Charlie Thuillier appeared on Dragons' Den back in 2016 and pitched their healthy ice cream idea hoping to secure £60,000 in exchange for a seven per cent stake in Oppo, according to The Sun.

But they did not receive an offer, with the Dragons allegedly deeming their business “too risky”.

BrewDog

I have saved my favourite Dragons' Den product until last - BrewDog beer. 

Witney Gazette: BrewDog were selected for a screen trial for Dragons' Den back in 2009.BrewDog were selected for a screen trial for Dragons' Den back in 2009. (Image: Patrick Glover)

While BrewDog never actually made it onto the Dragons' Den show on BBC, founders James Watt and Martin Dickie were selected for a screen trial.

Watt, on the BrewDog website, explains: "Back in 2009, after BrewDog had been running successfully for two years, we applied to go on Dragon’s Den and pitch to the Dragons.

"We got through the initial application process and were selected for a screen trial in Manchester.

"Martin and I put on our best clothes, practised our presentation and drove down to the BBC studios where we pitched our hearts out during the screen trial and thought we did quite a good job.

"However, the producers did not."

Watt and Dickie were told their business wasn’t "a good-enough investment proposition for the Dragons" or "unique enough" and didn't have "enough growth potential to make the grade and appear on the show". 

But the knockback from Dragon's Den doesn't seem to have done them much harm, with BrewDog now being one of the biggest names in craft beer in the UK. 

Their beers are delicious and they have so many to choose from.

I love the Hazy Jane IPA (or a double Hazy Jane if I'm looking for something a little stronger) and the Punk IPA, both classic sessionable IPAs that go down nicely every time. 


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Plus they are available in most supermarkets across the UK.

They have their Lost Larger for those that are more into their, well, larger. Or if you are a stout person Black Heart is for you. 

From Elvis Juice (grapefruit-infused IPA) and Wingman Session IPA to Neon Dream (tropical wheat beer) and Candy Kittens (Eton mess NEIPA), they really do have something to suit everyone.