More than a thousand entrepreneurs and inventors have entered the Dragons’ Den over the show’s 21-year history.
Sadly, most of these brave business boffins were roasted alive by the dragons’ fiery scrutiny or torn down by their razor-sharp questioning.
Only a brave few have ever managed to walk away with a portion of the dragon’s wealth.
But few were more courageous than Brendon and Jaydon Manders, who entered the den with an initial investment of just £100.
The brothers, who were pitching Lumberjaxe – their single-serve seasoning sachet idea – were turned down by Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett, and all seemed lost.
That is, until guest dragon Emma Grede came to the rescue, offering a £90,000 investment for a 20% stake in the business.
And it seems as though Emma was right to trust the brothers, as their business is now worth around £250,000 after securing a major deal with the supermarket chain Asda.
Speaking after the episode first aired, Brendon told Metro: ‘It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since, to be honest, it’s been great.’
‘We’ve had such a lovely response from everybody, endless messages,’ he went on.
‘A lot of people saying they’ve been teary at the show, and it’s been really nice because everyone seems to have enjoyed it. I think it struck a chord with people.’
According to The Grocer, Asda initially bought 40,000 seasoning sachets but has since placed several replenishment orders.
This order will reportedly allow Lumberjaxe to grow the business’ turnover by 200 per cent and double the size of their workforce.
‘We’re genuinely thrilled with how our launch has gone,’ Jaydon said.
‘To see Asda place repeat orders so soon after the initial rollout is amazing and shows shoppers are really getting behind the brand.
‘Seeing our flavours on shelves nationwide has been a huge milestone for us, and the response so far has honestly been amazing. It’s an exciting start to what we hope will be a long and successful growth within Asda stores.’
‘We’ve always believed there was room and a gap in the category for our brand. American-inspired flavour-led products that stand out on shelf,’ added Brendon.
‘Seeing our belief translate into repeat orders from a national retailer is hugely fulfilling. We’re focused on building on this momentum and continuing to innovate as we grow our brand.’