A Devon entrepreneur who appeared on hit BBC show Dragons’ Den has secured investment for his coffee company after a successful pitch.
Will Little, who owns family-run Little’s Coffee, was looking for £80,000 for 2% of his Cullompton-based business and received four offers from the dragons. The second-generation business owner finally agreed a deal with investor Steven Bartlett for 5% of his company – for the full amount of money.
Mr Little almost turned down the opportunity to feature on the programme, but changed his mind after realising Dragons’ Den had become “a really credible TV show for challenger brands”.
“We’re a self-funded family business, so my natural reaction was to say no to Dragons’ Den when I was approached by the BBC,” he said. “[But] having the backing, and mentorship, of a Dragon seemed like an opportunity I’d be silly to pass up.
“It’s hard to explain how intense, surreal, and nerve-wracking the whole experience is. Nothing can prepare you for the moment you step into the Den and face the Dragons. It’s not every day you get to meet the people you grew up watching on television. Overall, the experience was actually amazing. Scary, but amazing.”
Little’s Coffee was founded in 1990 by Mr Little’s parents – Henry and Leila Little – who dreamed up the idea of making flavoured coffee after being inspired while travelling around California.
The company, which has a 30-strong team in Devon, is now run by Mr Will Little and his wife, Caro. As well as instant and ground coffee, the business manufactures its own Nespresso-compatible coffee capsules pods in the UK.
Little’s products are stocked in more than 1,600 retail outlets across Britain, including Tesco and Waitrose, and exported to 25 countries. The business also said it was the first instant coffee in UK supermarkets to go 100% plastic free, using UK-made glass jars and aluminium lids.
Mr Little added: “Little’s is a challenger brand on a big mission to get people drinking better coffee. In the UK we drink nearly 100 million cups of coffee every day. However, the way people drink coffee is changing.
“While high street coffee shops are exploding with a huge selection of flavour trends and innovative drinks, the same options just aren’t there for the coffee we drink at home. Little’s is here to show that just doesn’t need to be the case. Little’s is here to show you that you can have the coffee shop experience at home for a fraction of the cost.”
Like this story? Why not sign up to get all the latest business news straight to your inbox