Two fmcg brands have scored deals during an appearance on tonight’s episode of Dragons’ Den (5 February), with one winning backing from guest dragon and former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville.
Flavour Bombs walked away from the den with £50k from Peter Jones in return for a 25% stake, while skincare brand My Skin Feels secured a joint £50k from Deborah Meaden and Neville for 20% of the business.
Married duo Tina Faghihi-Hallam and Olly Hallam launched the ready-to-use meal bases innovation from their London flat, bootstrapping Flavour Bombs to £100k in revenues in its first year thanks to interest on TikTok. The brand has amassed millions of views showcasing the simplicity of its products in home cooking.
“We started Flavour Bombs because we believe cooking should unite people, not stress them out,” Faghihi-Hallam said. “Seeing home cooks of all ages discover the joy of bold, authentic meals – and share it on TikTok – has been incredible.”
Each of the six-strong range can be used as a complete base for a meal, including Mexican birria, coconut curry, butter chicken, pho, jollof, and Cajun seafood boil, by adding the Flavour Bomb to water.
Flavour Bombs is now targeting rapid expansion, with plans to grow its retail presence in the UK and Ireland, starting with a launch in Ocado and Selfridges, as well as internationally.
“We’ve got massive ambitions to go nationwide and global,” Faghihi-Hallam said. “Peter has taken brands like Levi Roots from kitchen tables to supermarket shelves, and he understands buyers and scale better than anyone.
“We wanted a dragon who could bring expertise, contacts and real strategic support, not just the investment.”
Tackling waste in the beauty industry
My Skin Feels founder Danielle Close launched her beauty brand to address waste in the industry, creating sensitive-skin-friendly formulas for a moisturiser and facewash using rescued food by-products. Its organic lines are made with water left over from squeezing Mediterranean mandarins from the orange juice industry, byproducts from the olive oil industry, skins of Italian tomatoes unused by ketchup and sauce makers and stalks leftover from breakfast oats.
Close received offers from several dragons, including Jones, but negotiated a joint investment from Meaden and Neville.
“Not only is Deborah deeply passionate about sustainability, but she immediately understood both our challenges and our successes,” Close said.
“[And] Gary is such a strong advocate for hard work and a genuine ally for women in business.”
Brighton-based My Skin Feels is sold in US retail chain Credo and Whole Foods and on its DTC website in the UK. It is currently testing new potential product launches in clinical trials.
“I want My Skin Feels to become a household name and a leader in the conscious beauty movement,” Close added. “We want to prove you can build a profitable, long-lasting brand with sustainability at its core.”
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