He had arguably one of the most memorable pitches ever seen in the Den - now Levi Roots says he's had the "last laugh" at those who mocked his bestselling sauce for having "little hope".
The Dragons' Den star won hearts and two investments when he serenaded the likes of Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden for £50,000 for his "so nice I named it twice" Reggae Reggae.
But 16 years on, the jerk sauce has gone on to become a British supermarket staple - even outselling Heinz - while the businessman, whose real name is Keith Graham, has amassed a £30million fortune.
Levi's incredible and inspiring life story is now being written for the big screen by the same team who produced Fisherman's Friends, as he tells how he overcame multiple rejections before finding success.
His 2007 appearance on BBC's Dragons Den saw Levi being told there was no future in the secret recipe sauce which, at the time, he had been selling for years at Notting Hill Carnival.
Duncan Bannatyne claimed there was "no business" in the brand, Richard Farleigh said there was "little hope" and other dragons described it as not being scalable.
Despite the barrage of criticism, the entrepreneur managed to walk away with two offers as he gave Peter Jones and Mr Farleigh a 20% stake each.
“I was really upset about the way [Mr Bannatyne] approached it,” Mr Graham told The Sun.
"Then Theo had a little dig at my name and said I had lost credibility, which I thought was below the belt.
“But sometimes you need things to inspire you. I became determined to show that Scottish b*****d Duncan what I could do, and that he was wrong about me.”
Levi, whose stage name comes from when he played in a reggae band aged 16, came to the UK from Jamaica aged 11 before he decided to re-name himself.
“I found 90 per cent of Jamaicans had Scottish names because of slavery,” he said.
“I wanted to name myself, I felt African and wanted to be a Rasta.
“In the Rastafari calendar the month of June - when I was born - represents the tribe of Levi, and I chose Roots because I wanted a strong name. It felt right.”
Reggae Reggae sauce initially failed to sell well at Notting Hill Carnival, flogging just 4,000 bottles over several years, but Mr Graham began to realise he was selling to a tough crowd.
“One of my sons suggested I should take it any place that had a ‘shire’ at the end of it,” he said.
“Where there was no dreadlocked Rasta man looking like me and no jerk sauce.”
“So every weekend, we went to Buckinghamshire, Carmarthenshire, anywhere with a ‘shire’, to lovely Saturday markets and county fairs.
“I would get my guitar out and sing these silly songs written about food, what Grandma taught me and added in my family history.
“It became a great success.”
Mr Graham's efforts were soon noticed by a BBC food researcher, who urged him to consider pitching it on Dragons Den - an invitation he turned down three times before eventually agreeing, against his family's advice.
The deal brokered with millionaire Peter Jones helped land the sauce in 600 Sainsbury's stores - within six weeks Reggae Reggae had outsold Heinz Ketchup.
According to the Sunday Times rich list, Levi's fortune is an estimated £30m coming from mammoth sales of the sauce, as well as TV appearances and six cookbook deals.
“I still have pinch myself moments, like when I walk down the street and everyone - black, white, pink or brown - recognises me.
“They know Levi Roots and that makes me feel really special.”
