Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae Sauce

...of the Jamaican reggae singer Levi Root that persuaded two Dragons, Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, to put in £25,000 each for a 20% stake of the company. The Dragons obviously spotted an excellent investment opportunity that has subsequently come to fruition for them. It is estimated that this brand is now worth millions.

Levi Root is no business man, that was clearly evident from his presentation to the Dragons and if it was not ...
...the product.

Levi Roots being not only a reggae singer, but also a MOBO Awards nominee, provides a further angle to market the product.

The Reggae Reggae sauce brand relies heavily on the family recipe concept for it marketing effort. How close to the truth this is no one really knows but it does provide a good story.

For further information on Reggae Reggae sauce, including recipe ideas and cooking inspiration ... more

It was whilst watching Dragon’s Den back in 2007 that I became familiar with the name Reggae Reggae sauce.

It was the lyrical and musical talent of the Jamaican reggae singer Levi Root that persuaded two Dragons, Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, to put in £25,000 each for a 20% stake of the company. The Dragons obviously spotted an excellent investment opportunity that has subsequently come to fruition for them. It is estimated that this brand is now worth millions.

Levi Root is no business man, that was clearly evident from his presentation to the Dragons and if it was not for both the financial backing and the consultancy services provided by the Dragons then there is no way that this product would have made it to the market place.

So Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, I salute you both for enabling this excellent sauce to be made available to the general public.

****My thoughts****

I am reviewing the Jerk/barbeque flavour although I believe that it is also available in apple.

The sauce comes in a neat little glass bottle containing 310g of the sauce. As soon as I opened the bottle I knew it was going to be a little bit hot. You can really smell the chilli and ginger in it.

The jerk/barbecue sauce is the same consistency as tomato ketchup but it is the same dark brown colour of Daddies sauce.

The taste, however, is something else. It’s like nothing I have had before. Since this is a barbeque sauce I was expecting it to be tangy and a bit bland like Heinz BBQ sauce. It is totally different think Heinz BBQ sauce with a bit more zing and a massive kick courtesy of the Scottish bonnet chillies.

Now think of the Heinz BBQ sauce with a bit more ‘stuff’ in it making it thicker and you’re starting to get close to this Reggae Reggae sauce.

****Ingredients****

The unique taste of this sauce is achieved by adding the usual suspects of water, barley malt vinegar, sugar etc. to the “special” ingredients of chilli, plain caramel, garlic, ginger, “all spice”, spring onions, black pepper, “mixed herbs”, coriander, paprika, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil, thyme and tomato flavouring.

Looking at the ingredients in isolation there are a lot of strong flavours there that I thought would clash when added together, however, they don’t. All the flavours fuse together really well, compliment each other and produce the fantastic individual taste.

The bottle contains an allergy advice since the sauce contains barley and ‘may’ contain traces of nuts or mustard. How can the manufacturers say it ‘may’ contain nuts and mustard? Surely it either contains them or it doesn’t? The word ‘may’ causes a bit of concern as to me it suggests the manufacturers are not totally confident what ends up in the final product. This does not affect me because I don’t have a nut or mustard allergy, however, if I did I think I would stay away from this.

****Nutritional information****

For a 100g serving of sauce you will consume 121 kcal. Whilst this sounds a lot, but considering the whole bottle holds 310g it is not a great deal.

This sauce contains an awful lot of sugar 28.8g per 100g but it is not that much more than other table sauce such as ketchup and the like.

It is really low in fat, only 0.1g per 100g, so it is ideal for those following a low fat diet.

****What to do with it****

This sauce can be used for a whole variety of cooking applications and it tastes great in every case.

It can be used simply as a table sauce and just used for dipping. Warm prawns really seem to pick up the flavour. My other half likes dunking iceberg lettuce leaves (these have got to come straight out of the fridge though) in it.

The consistency of the sauce makes it ideal for smearing over chicken, pork chops, spare ribs and burgers before grilling. This creates a really nice jerk flavoured glaze. For the best results I apply multiple thin coats throughout the grilling process. One thing I have noticed is that this sauce does not seem to compliment lamb or beef.

Reggae Reggae sauce is great mixed with baked beans and small pieces of bacon to make interesting beans and bacon on toast.

Reggae Reggae sauce makes a great marinade for meats for stir fries. I have found that leaving chicken in it overnight prior to using in a stir fry really brings out the heat. It’s delicious.

This is a really versatile product that has many more uses than the ones detailed above.

****Availability****

Reggae Reggae sauce is distributed by AB World Foods Limited based in Lancashire and as far as I am aware it is Sainsburys that hold the rights to stock Reggae Reggae sauce. I have looked for it in Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi amongst other places but I have never been able to source it anywhere other than Sainburys. This is a pain for me since I carry out my weekly shop in Tescos, therefore having to make a special trip to get my Reggae Reggae sauce fix.

A 310g jar of Reggae Reggae sauce costs £1.46, which whilst it isn’t cheap it is definitely worth it.

****Marketing****

Reggae Reggae sauce is a marketing managers dream. Being Caribbean enables it to use the traditional red, green and yellow colours of the Rastafarian religion.

The fact that the sauce was designed by Jamaicans and is a secret family recipe passed on from generation to generation is another angle used to market the product and, in my opinion has added to the success of the product.

Levi Roots being not only a reggae singer, but also a MOBO Awards nominee, provides a further angle to market the product.

The Reggae Reggae sauce brand relies heavily on the family recipe concept for it marketing effort. How close to the truth this is no one really knows but it does provide a good story.

For further information on Reggae Reggae sauce, including recipe ideas and cooking inspiration please refer to www.reggaereggaesauce .com

****Conclusion****

The Reggae Reggae sauce is fantastic. It is smoky and tangy and has a spicy kick, provided by the Scotch bonnet chillies. It has a thick consistency (making it ideal for basting and using as a marinade) and contains plenty of “stuff” (such as onion) to give it a really nice and full texture.

Reggae Reggae sauce has become my table sauce of choice and I now prefer this to everything else, including tomato ketchup.

(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1) 

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