Will Little, the owner of family-run Little’s Coffee, successfully secured investment on BBC’s Dragons’ Den after impressing the panel with his pitch.
Seeking £80,000 for a 2% stake in his Cullompton-based business, Little received four offers before striking a deal with investor Steven Bartlett. He ultimately agreed to give up 5% of his company in exchange for the full investment.
Little initially considered turning down the opportunity to appear on the show but changed his mind, recognizing Dragons’ Den as a “credible platform for challenger brands.”
Founded in 1990 by Little’s parents, Henry and Leila Little, the company was inspired by their travels in California, where they came up with the idea of making flavored coffee. Today, Will and his wife, Caro, run the business, leading a 30-member team in Devon.
Little’s Coffee produces instant and ground coffee, as well as Nespresso-compatible coffee capsules, all manufactured in the UK. The brand’s products are stocked in over 1,600 retail outlets, including Tesco and Waitrose, and exported to 25 countries. Notably, the company became the first instant coffee brand in UK supermarkets to go 100% plastic-free, using glass jars and aluminum lids made in the UK.
“Little’s is a challenger brand on a big mission to get people drinking better coffee,” said Will Little. “In the UK, we drink nearly 100 million cups of coffee every day, and consumer habits are evolving.”
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