Four Dragons’ Den offers refused by drink founder

Hilditch, who also owns a Herefordshire-based £8M turnover produce firm that supplies apples to Heineken, blackcurrants to Suntory and chickens to Cargill, turned down four offers from two of the Dragons, who wanted to claim too much of her business for a £50,000 investment.

On the show, which aired on Sunday (August 30), Hilditch rejected cash from Sarah Willingham and Peter Jones, who each wanted to own more of British Cassis than Hilditch was willing to give away.

Hospitality entrepreneur Willingham, whose cocktail, pub and restaurant empire would have benefited Hilditch’s drinks business, wanted 40% of British Cassis for £50,000.

“I can’t do that, but thank you very much for your offer and I would really have liked to have had your expertise,” Hilditch told Willingham.

‘My stop was 20%’

“My accountant advised me not to go beyond [giving away] 25% equity in my company and my stop was 20%.”

Willingham, who said she could offer Hilditch access to instant customers, then made a second bid for part-ownership of the firm.

“I will make you a counter offer and that’s all of the money for 40% but, when the business doubles its turnover, you can buy back half of my shares at the same price I paid for them.”

However, the offer wasn’t attractive enough for Hilditch to accept, who also turned down a 25% and a 30% offer from Peter Jones, as well as his suggestion of a joint deal between him and Deborah Meaden to take 15% of the business each for £25,0000 each.

“For the sake of [giving away an extra] 5% you could have so much more,” Jones argued with Hilditch.

Dropped out of the running

Meaden, who pulled out after deciding Hilditch was too stubborn, said: “People forget that accountants are advisors and a real entrepreneur gets out there and makes their own mind up.”

Once Hilditch had left the Den, she questioned her decision and said: “Sarah could have been fantastic and would have opened doors … perhaps I should have taken that one.”

Meanwhile, a second contestant failed to impress the Dragons with his Hot Diggidy Dog chilli hot sauce, which had made Willingham’s lips feel “four inches bigger than normal” because it was so spicy.

“I think flames are actually going to come out of my mouth in a minute, like a real-life dragon,” she told the company’s founder Simon Llewellyn.

Llewellyn, who is based in Wales, walked away from the Den empty-handed after the Dragons decided there was too much competition in the market.